Hold Me - Scisaac Fan-fic
by EDANACAT
Summary: It takes getting locked in a janitor's closet for Scott and Isaac to admit how they feel about each other. However, with the alpha pack calling the shots, will their love survive through the good and the bad? (Scisaac, Sterek & Dethan)
1. Chapter 1

The sound of the door shutting kept echoing in Isaac's ears. Time moved in slow motion as he turned and saw the door closed, walked over to it and tried to turn the handle. Locked. Isaac tried it again, his movements more panicked than before. "Come on, come ON!" he screamed.

He felt the familiar touch of Scott's hand on his shoulder. "Isaac, hey, look at me."

Isaac shook his head and rattled the doorknob again. Since the door was obviously locked Isaac slammed his whole body against it repeatedly. Tears were starting to form in his eyes and his claws were starting to appear. Scott grabs Isaac's shoulders and looks into his eyes. "Look at me. You're okay, I'm here and I won't let anything happen to you."

Isaac let himself break down in front of Scott; thank god that it was Scott in here with him. "Get me out of here." He moans between sobs. "I need to get out of here."

Scott hears Isaac's heart rate increase and his breathing become more rapid. In order to avoid having Isaac lunge for the door, Scott pulls him into a tight hug. "Shhh, you'll be okay. I'm here. Take a deep breath and calm yourself down."

"I-I-I c-c-can't." Isaac chokes out. More tears cascade down his face.

Scott pulls away and grips Isaac's shoulders firmly. "Yes, you can. You can do anything Isaac. Breathe with me, okay?"

Isaac gives a faint nod and follows Scott's instructions, deep breath in, deep breath out. Just as Isaac starts to return to normal the lights go out, enveloping the room in total darkness.

Scott hears Isaac's heart pick up speed again. "Scott?" Isaac screams through a fresh wave of tears.

Scott feels around for a moment before finding Isaac's hand. "I'm right here." He whispers.

Isaac collapses to the ground and huddles into Scott. "I'm scared." He moans.

Scott holds him tight against his body. "I know. It's okay, I'll keep you safe."

Isaac grips Scott's arm like it's his lifeline. "Get me out of here." He whispers. Then louder, "I can't take it!" Isaac leaps out of Scott's lap and find the door in the blackness. He slams into the surface multiple times. "Let me out of here!"

Scott doesn't need to see Isaac to know that he's absolutely terrified. He can practically smell the fear rolling off Isaac. Before Scott can say anything, a deep growl comes from his left.

Isaac, now in wolf form, jumps at Scott and pins him to the floor by his shoulders. Scott manages to shake him loose and roll away. Judging by the growls Scott guesses that he only has a few moments before Isaac takes another swipe at him. So, Scott dives forwards and tackles Isaac. Isaac uses the momentum to keep them rolling across the floor. Scott feels a slight pain in his shoulder as Isaac bites him, but he ignores it. Soon enough the two boys slam into the wall and knock the entire shelf, and it's contents, right on top of them. Isaac jumps of off Scott, startled, and disappears in the shadows.

"Isaac?" Scott says into the dark. "I know you're scared but-"

"Scott?" Isaac whimpers from the corner of the room.

Scott slowly walks towards Isaac's voice. "Hey, don't be afraid."

"B-b-but th-this is h-how it w-was with my d-dad." Isaac says.

Scott finally reaches him and cuddles into the terrified boy. "Your dad isn't here anymore, he can't hurt you."

Isaac puts his head on Scott's shoulder. "I know, but," he shivers, "this is too much like those times."

Scott intertwines fingers with Isaac. "Hey, I wasn't with you before, but I'm here now and I'll do anything you want."

Isaac stays quiet for a moment and then, "Hold me?" he requests.

In response Scott puts his arms around Isaac and pulls him even closer.


	2. Chapter 2

The lights flickered back on, not completely though, just a dull glow bright enough to see the outline of objects. Isaac screamed. "Isaac, hey, shhhh, I've got you. Don't panic." Scott says while squeezing Isaac close to him.

Tears slip down Isaac's cheeks. "I just wanna leave." He moans.

"I know you do." Scott whispers while rubbing Issac's back.

"You probably think that I'm pathetic, don't you?" He whimpers.

Scott gasps. "Why would I think that?"

Isaac squeezes his hand as a fresh wave of tears fall down his cheeks."Cause I'm crying."

Scott kisses Isaac's forehead and pulls him onto his lap. "You're not pathetic Isaac, you're scared. There's a difference."

Isaac starts shaking, "I'm scared of small spaces, yeah, right, that's not pathetic at all."

"It's not pathetic! So what, you're claustrophobic...at least you're not terrified of Derek like I am." Scott whispers.

Isaac does the last thing that Scott would have expected. Laugh. "He is pretty scary, isn't he." A pause. "I'm scared of him sometimes too."

Scott chuckles, "I don't think that there's a person on earth who isn't scared of Derek."

Isaac considers this. "Actually, there may be one person." Scott raises his eyebrows quizzically. "Stiles?" Isaac says, "He's been all over Derek for weeks..."

"Oh yeah...Stiles has, like, a crush on him. And surprisingly, they'd actually be kinda cool together." Scott admits.

"They're pretty much complete opposites though...I'm not sure if it would work between them." Isaac counters.

Scott shrugs, "Well, opposites usually attract, don't they?"

Isaac laughs, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Hey, Issac, can I ask you something?" Scott whispers after a few moments of silence.

Isaac lays his head on Scott's shoulder and breaths in his scent. "Sure, ask away."

Scott takes a deep breath, "Well, what would you think of me if I told you that I was...uhm...gay?"

Scott holds his breath for Issac's answer. Isaac only snuggles in even more. "I'd think that you were crazy for not telling me sooner...and then I'd think, wow, now I actually have a shot at being with you." Isaac blushes.

Scott lets out a breath and smiles, "Wow, that's a huge relief. I was scared you would hate me."

"I'd never hate you Scott." Isaac moans into Scott's neck. He clenches his hands into fists and releases them along with a panicked breath. "Oh god, Scott, I don't know how much longer I can take this."

Scott kisses Isaac's cheek, "Hey, you're doing great so far. How about you tell me how you're feeling...maybe that would help."

Isaac lets out a nervous laugh, "You want me to talk about my feelings?"

Scott shrugs, "It couldn't hurt."

Isaac shakes his head, "I don't want to."

Scott sighs and absentmindedly plays with Isaac's hair. "Okay, but if you want to talk, I'm here."

"It's not like you can go anywhere." Isaac's breath hitches. He jerks his hands up and squeezes them to his temples.

"Isaac, it's okay. I'm right here." Scott grips Isaac's arm.

Isaac starts bawling, worse than before. "I c-can't get him out of my head Scott."

"Who?" Scott whispers while rubbing Isaac's shoulder.

"My dad." He moans. "When he used to lock me in the freezer, beat me, throw stuff at me..." Isaac shudders. "He hated me Scott."

Scott didn't know what to say. What was he supposed to say? "Well, he can't hurt you anymore.

" Issac was pretty much hyperventilating and Scott had no idea what to do to help him. The speed that his heart was going brought tears to Scott's eyes; 'there's no way that that's not painful' Scott thought. "H-h-he's already h-h-hurt m-m-me enough." Issac gasps.

Scott wraps his arms around Isaac's vulnerable body. "But you can heal. Starting now, okay?" Isaac nods. "Concentrate on your breathing, keep it steady and get into a rhythm, okay."

Isaac nods, unable to speak through his tears. He gives an honest attempt at Scott's instructions but gives up after a minute. "I c-c-can't d-d-do it S-s-Scott."

Scott puts his head into Isaac's neck. "Yes you can. You need to think of something other than your dad, something that makes you happy."

Isaac pushes his hands even harder against his temples and screams. "Scott I can't!"

Scott rips Isaac's hands away from his head aggressively and speaks with a fierce tone. "Yes, you can. You listen to me Isaac Lahey, you will be fine, you can do anything, and you will get through this. I love you, and I can't stand seeing you like this!"

Isaac smiles weakly through his tears. "Scott, I love you too."


	3. Chapter 3

(_**Author's Note:**__Okay, I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted but first I had writers block after I wrote down a few sentences and then after last night's episode I've been kinda in bad shape...I cried for almost 3 hours...anyway, I will keep up with this fic...I hope that you enjoy this chapter and remember, reviews are always appreciated :P)_

* * *

"When did you realize that you were gay?" Isaac asks Scott. His voice is a little shaky and he's trembling slightly, but his breathing and heart rate are under control.

Scott shrugs, "I'm not sure. The first time I suspected it was the first time I saw you though."

Isaac grins, "Well I'm honored to be your first man-crush."

Scott giggles and kisses Isaac's cheek. "When did you realize that you were gay?"

Isaac frowns and looks down at his hands. "A couple of years ago; that's when he started abusing me, after I came out to him."

Scott holds Isaac tighter, "I'm sorry. That must have been terrible."

A few tears slip out of Isaac's eyes, "Yeah, it was. We used to get along so well and then, after I was open with him, he hated me."

"Well, that part of your life is over now." Scott whispers, "You're surrounded by people who will love and support you no matter what."

Isaac shutters. "I miss him though, my dad. Yeah, he treated me like shit but he was still my dad, you know."

"I get what you mean." Scott says, "When my dad left my mom and I, I wanted to hate him, but I couldn't because at the end of the day he was still my dad."

The boys sit in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the feel of their bodies pressed against each other. However, their illusion of peace was shattered when the door flung open, causing Isaac to jump. He bites his lip to avoid screaming and a thin line of blood slowly trickles down his chin and onto his shirt. Scott grips his hand as they watch an arm push somebody in and then slam the door closed again. As if on cue the lights fizzle out, leaving the room in complete darkness for the second time.

"Scott? Isaac?" A familiar voice calls out from the shadows.

"Derek?" Scott replies. He hears Isaac's heartbeat pick up unexpectedly and his breath starts coming in hysterical little pants.

"Scott, what's going on with Isaac?" Derek says; coming closer to the two boys.

Scott squeezes Isaac's hand again before responding to Derek. "He's been having on and off panic attacks since we got locked in here . . . memories of his dad and stuff."

There's a shuffle as Derek finally reaches the corner where Scott and Isaac are huddled together. "Isaac, you're safe here, don't forget that. Both Scott and I have your back." His voice was soft and comforting like you would expect a fathers' to sound like.

"Okay." Isaac whimpers, "And Derek?"

"Yeah Isaac."

"I told Scott that I love him." he whispers through clenched teeth, "And you were right, he does like me back."

Scott tenses, "What? Derek you knew that I was . . . gay?"

Derek bumps one of the shelves as he leans against it. "What can I say Scott? I'm gay, so I have an excellent gay-dar."

Isaac and Scott chuckle. "Oh shut up Derek." Isaac says.

Derek shrugs in the darkness, "I will when I want to."

Isaac had tensed up again after the brief moment of his amusement from Derek; their current situation suddenly coming back to him. "D-d-Derek," he stutters, "who put you in h-h-here? Why?"

Scott squeezes Isaac's hand and puts an arm around him. "Yeah, what's even going on out there?"

"It was Kali who put me in here," Derek begins, "And I don't know what's happening; I came looking for Scott and she grabbed me the second I set foot in the door."

"So the Alfa's are behind this." Scott states.

"W-w-what are y-y-you not t-t-telling us Derek?" Isaac whimpers.

A long pause, "I'll tell you guys later," He says slowly, "but first lets-"

"Derek," Scott growls, "what do you know?"

Derek sighs, "Scott, please, I shouldn't do this here."

Scott lets go of Isaac's hand and stands up, "Do what Derek?"

Derek gets up as well and gently places a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Scott, I'm serious . . ." Derek pleads, "I shouldn't tell you while we're in here."

Scott growls and pushes Derek across the room. "Tell me what Derek!? What are you keeping from us?"

Derek growls back, "They have your mom, Scott. The Alfa's have your mom tied up in the gym."


	4. Chapter 4

The lights turn on just in time for Isaac to watch Scott fall to his knees. "Is she . .?

Derek kneels down and shakes his head, "She was alive when Kali and I passed the gym."

Isaac shakily gets up, walks over to Scott and offers him a hand to help him up. Scott takes it and falls into Isaac's arms; hot, silent tears streaming down his face. "I'm going to get us out of here." He whispers into Isaac's neck.

Before anybody could move Scott had lunged for the door and was banging on it furiously, screaming at the top of his lungs. "Open this god damn door right now!"

Derek and Isaac each grab an arm and drag him to the middle of the small room where Scott collapses into a sobbing lump. "She's probably dead." He moans, wrapping his arms around his stomach as if to fold into himself.

Isaac pulls him onto his lap and kisses his forehead, "You don't know for sure," he says soothingly.

Scott shudders, "Even if she is alive, Isaac, Deucalion has her. And if he has her, well, she's probably dead by now." Isaac begins to say something but Scott cuts him off, "Derek, what do you think?"

Derek looks at the floor, "You don't want to know what I think, Scott."

"What am I supposed to do now?" Scott sniffles.

The door creaks open slightly, "Go see Deucalion," a voice whispers. "He's expecting you."

The three wolves look at each other before scrambling for the exit at the same time. Scott keeps going; heading for the gym while Isaac and Derek take a quick breather. "We should probably go after Scott now." Derek mumbles.

"Why so hesitant?" Isaac whispers as they start walking.

"It's probably a trap." Derek says.

Isaac laughs, "Derek, we all know that it's a trap, so tell me the real reason."

Derek sighs and lets a few tears fall down his cheeks, "Stiles and Allison are in there as well. Them, along with Scott's mom, are the next three sacrifices." Derek pauses, "I know they're dead by now."

Isaac gasps and quickens his pace to a run, "Why didn't you tell us this sooner?"

"You saw how he reacted to his mom, Isaac. If I told him his best friend and ex-girlfriend were in there as well he would have been uncontrollable. And that's before knowing about them being sacrifices." Derek snaps.

Isaac flinches when he says 'girlfriend' but then nods. "Okay, you're right, but-"

They come to a stop at the fully open gym doors. The scene is not what Isaac had expected; Stiles and Allison have their hands tied and are dangling from the rims of opposite basketball nets. Stiles's eyes light up when he sees the two of them come in; his shirt is a little red but he seems otherwise unharmed. Allison, however, is unconscious and covered in blood. Isaac's eyes come to rest on Scott last; this image breaks his heart the most. Scott is holding his mom's limp body against his chest while he screams insults at Deucalion.

"Well, it's nice for you two to finally show up." Deucalion says, as if on cue, when Isaac and Derek walk in. Scott's head turns towards them and, seeing his heartbroken, hopeless expression, Isaac bolts over to him.

"What do you want Douche-alion?" Derek says.

Deucalion shrugs as if he didn't hear the insult, "I just want my last sacrifices to be made and then I'll be on my way." He says evenly.

"Then why do you need us here?" Isaac questions.

Deucalion laughs, "Don't you see little boy, once I kill Stiles, you, Scott and Derek are the last three sacrifices."

Scott's head snaps up, "You're going to kill us?"

Deucalion grins menacingly, "I think I just made that very clear."

On a sudden burst of angry energy Scott bolts for the alpha; Isaac hot on his heels. Judging by the growl behind him Isaac knows that Derek is ready for a fight as well. A new growl joins in and Isaac turns to see Kali jump from the rafters on the roof and land on Derek; the two roll across the floor and start taking swipes at each other.

Isaac is yanked sharply to the left as the mega-twin grabs him. Isaac punches their jaw and takes the moment of surprise to escape their grip and land another punch in the stomach. Furious snarls fill Isaac's ears but he continues fighting until he's picked up by Ennis and thrown into the bleachers. Isaac's world goes black.


	5. Chapter 5

_"__Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me." _

Isaac will never forget the day that Derek offered him the bite. He had been given a chance to start over, become stronger and extraordinary. After his dad had ripped his confidence down to nothing, something like the bite could help him to gain faith in himself once again. Isaac had been lost, but miraculously Derek had found him.

_ "__Losing her, the only one who's ever known who I am, who I'm not, who I want to be." _

Isaac had always been a mommy's boy; he never had a strong bond with his dad like most kids seemed to. His mother was the only person that really knew him, the only one that he was comfortable opening up to. Her death caused a part of Isaac to die as well.

_"__You got some kind of nerve, taking all I want."_

Isaac didn't just lose a mothers, he lost a father as well. With every hit, every second spent locked up in the freezer, every angered word, Isaac felt his father slipping farther and farther away from him. Hatred, anger and betrayal were emotions that he felt everyday towards his father, the man that had taken everything that he had left away from him.

_ "__Where were you? Where were you?"_

The first time Isaac saw Scott, a feeling of hope had overwhelmed him. Hope for a better future, a happy one that didn't involve his dad. But where was Scott when Isaac had needed him the most? Scott hadn't been there to stop his dad from locking him up, or throwing stuff at him or hitting him. But, Scott was there when his father died and it didn't matter that he hadn't been there before because he's here now.

_"__Why'd you have to wait?" _

It wasn't until after Isaac's dad was dead that Isaac started to fall in love with Scott. Why did he have to wait so long for his father's death? Why did he have to wait so long for Scott to tell him that he had feelings for him? Why did Isaac wait to long to tell Scott his feelings?

_"__Just a little late." _

Isaac's life had been hell long before he arrived in Beacon Hills. They were a little late moving, if they had arrived earlier maybe Isaac wouldn't have been as emotionally damaged as he is now. If Scott, or even Derek, had found him earlier then maybe Isaac would have been able to trust people easier. If the Kanima had killed his dad earlier then he would have had to suffer through less 'punishments.' Everything in Isaac's life was too late, including his arrival in the gym.

If he had gotten there sooner, maybe nobody would have died.

* * *

Isaac's eyes snap open and he gasps and sits up, trying to figure out where he is.

A gentle hand eases him back so he's lying down again. "Isaac, you're fine. You're in the hospital." Derek says.

He looks into his alpha's eyes as some memories from the gym come back to him. "Is Scott okay? Did anyone live?"

Derek looks at him with sad eyes. "Scott's mom is in a coma but it's not likely that she'll make it. Allison is on the mend, Stiles is fine and as you can see, I'm fine."

Isaac sighs in relief. "How's Scott doing?"

Derek shrugs. "He's holding up. He hasn't left his mother's side since she got here and he refuses to sleep. Stiles is with him right now trying to make him eat."

'Since she got here,' echoes in Isaac's head. "How long have I been here?" he whispers.

"Three days." Derek says quietly.

Isaac closes his eyes and takes a deep inhale through his nose and exhale through his mouth before looking at Derek. "When can I leave?"

"They want to keep you for at least another week, Isaac." Derek says, "The impact didn't kill you, obviously, but you did hit your head really hard. You have a really severe concussion even with your fast healing."

As if on cue Isaac becomes aware of a pounding in his head. "A week!?" His voice rises in panic.

Derek sighs, "Isaac they need to do MRI's and Brain Wave scans and stuff. Just because you're a werewolf doesn't mean that you're immune to brain damage."

Tears spring to Isaac's eyes, "Brain damage?"

Derek puts a hand on top of Isaac's. "Don't worry too much. It's not very likely, but it's a possibility; I don't want to take any chances when it comes to you getting better and have you released before the doctors think it's okay."

A few tears slip down Isaac's cheeks, "How are you being so calm about this?!"

"Isaac, because you heal faster than normal it's highly likely that you do not have any brain damage." Derek snaps, "But I'm worried about you; I want to know exactly how much damage has been done. You don't have a history of seizures, do you?"

Isaac shutters, "Seizures? No, why?"

"Because you've had several since you got here," Derek admits, "And you've woken up a couple times and have thrown up before becoming unconscious again. I bet you don't remember that, do you?"

Isaac shakes his head, suddenly feeling very sleepy. "Derek, I'm tired."

Derek pats his hand, "Then go to sleep. Either Stiles or I will be here when you wake up."

Isaac nods and easily slips back into unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter 6

_"__Saw you walk into the room. Thought I'd try to talk to you." _

Isaac remembers when he started to fall for Scott and how he'd always try to get the courage to talk to him. Isaac had always planned to admit his love for Scott but it never happened, not until the time he was stuck in the janitor's closet.

_"__It's been two years to the day. Half the time I've been away." _

Two years ago Isaac came out of the closet to his dad and only a year ago he crossed paths with Scott; and Derek and Boyd and Erica and Allison and Jackson and Lydia and everyone else in Beacon Hills, everyone that changed his life for the better.

_"__When I'm with you, I'll make every second count. Cause I miss you whenever you're not around." _

Whenever Isaac has to leave Scott, he gets a pain in his chest; being away from him literally hurts. There's nobody out there that Isaac will love more than he loves Scott. During the happy times when he is with Scott, Isaac tries his hardest to not be his usual broken self. He doesn't want to waste a moment with Scott by bothering him with his problems.

_"__I'm not too shy to show I love you. I got no regrets." _

Now that Isaac finally told Scott that he's gay, he's not afraid to be himself. After spending over a year being abused by his father, Isaac has learned that he needs to live without regrets and do whatever will make him happy.

_"__I'm gonna love you for life, I ain't leaving your side." _

Scott is him; the one that everybody dreams of having but very few ever get. He always puts other people before himself, he's smart, kind and on top of all that he's attractive. There will never be anybody else for Isaac; he'll never want anybody else. They'll be together for the rest of their lives and then hopefully in their after-lives as well. Isaac will never leave Scott's side; he's there until the end.

_"__Scars make us who we are." _

Isaac wouldn't be the same without all of his physical and emotional scars. As much as he hated that time of his life, he's also thankful for it. That experience has made Isaac stronger and more understanding. Would Scott still like Isaac if he was the popular, athletic jerk that he would have been if his mom had not died?

_"__This was never the way I planned, not my intention." _

Isaac hadn't planned to fall in love, let alone with someone as perfect as Scott. He had intended to ace every class and play as many sports as he could in order to impress his dad, and maybe even make him stop being abusive.

_"__Can't say all the little things that I wanna tell you right now." _

Every time Isaac catches a glimpse of Scott, it's hard not to picture them in the future, together. Finally having Scott to himself, kissing his soft lips whenever he wants, nipping at his ears in the bedroom, touching him all over and not having to worry what other people are going to think. As long as he has Scott, nothing else matters. But Isaac also imagines the things like waking up with someone next to him, sitting on the back porch watching the sunset, random date nights, cuddling and watching a movie; Isaac would be happy doing anything as long as Scott is there with him.

_"__Step one; you say we need to talk. He walks; you say 'sit down it's just a talk.'"_

"Isaac, what is this?" His father was holding up a piece of paper, Isaac's mid-term report card.

"T-that's my report card." Isaac says.

He watches his father take the last sip of his glass of whiskey and smile. "Yes, it is. Now, what's this about a B? I thought that you promised me you were going to do better this year."

Isaac gulps and looks down at his empty dinner plate, already knowing how this conversation will end. "I'm trying dad. It's just I've been super stressed about making the lacrosse team and trying to make new friends-"

He's interrupted by his father slamming his fist down onto the table. Everything is completely silent for a split second. "There is no excuse Isaac! You need to suck it up and be a man! That B is a disgrace to this family and a disgrace to you as well, you made a promise! Don't make promises that you can't keep! You wanted to make me proud? How do you expect me to be proud of a little shit like you?" He throws his empty glass across the room and Isaac ducks just in time.

A sudden surge of confidence floats its way into Isaac's mind. He stands up and glares at his dad. "What family?" He screeches, "Mom's gone, it's just the two of us. And what about the promise that you made to me, that you would always be there for me? You never kept that!" Isaac steps closer to his dad. "I think that you need to suck it up and be a man. Put away your homophobia for just a minute and look after your son!"

They are standing less than arm's length away now, staring each other down. Isaac's dad is fuming with surprise and anger. Finally, after several long, tense moments, he slaps Isaac hard across his face. "Don't you ever do that again! I think we need to take a trip to the basement, don't you agree?"

Isaac shoves his dad away and storms out the front door, into the pouring rain, ignoring his dad's shouts. What Isaac did not know was that that was the last time he would ever see, or hear, his father again.


	7. Chapter 7

"How're you feeling this fine morning?" Stiles asks when Isaac finally comes to.

Isaac groans, feeling slightly nauseous, confused and a painful throbbing in his head. "I feel like shit." He mumbles. "Where's Derek?"

Stiles sighs, "Giving an attempt at trying to get Scott to eat. It's like he's given up on himself; he refuses to do anything except sit there and stare at his mom all day."

Isaac bites his lip as a strong wave of nausea travels through him. "Sounds like he's acting as if she's already dead."

Stiles nods, "The doctors say that she only has around a thirty percent chance of recovering."

"Recovering from what?" Isaac asks, suddenly confused.

Stiles laughs lightly, "You have a terrible sense of humor my friend."

Isaac flinches from the pain in his head, "I'm not trying to be funny Stiles. I honestly don't know what happened to her. Plus, what am I even in here for?"

Stiles's expression turns serious. "Isaac, you really don't remember?"

Isaac shakes his head, which causes even more pain, "Should I?"

Derek walks in looking more tired than Isaac has ever seen him, "Stiles can you go sit with him now? I'm getting nowhere with him."

Stiles sighs, "What does he want us to do?"

Derek smiles lightly, which makes Stiles's heart do a double take. "I don't think that even Scott knows the answer to that."

Stiles gets up and stops just outside the door. "Derek, Isaac claims that he doesn't remember what happened in the gym. It would have been nice to know that he's not as fine as you let on." With that he leaves for Scott's room.

Derek shakes his head and sits beside Isaac's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I've got a headache and I feel like I'm going to puke, but other than that, I feel fine." Isaac says.

Derek smiles, "I guess you're healing better than I thought. I'll see if I can get you out of here by tomorrow."

Isaac looks at the mysterious man, suddenly alarmed. "W-where would you be taking me?"

Derek frowns, "To my apartment."

Isaac shutters, "Are you one of my dad's friends?"

Derek's jaw drops in shock, "Isaac, I-"

"How do you know my name?" He screams. "I don't know you!" Derek reaches out to grab Isaac's hand, but Isaac flinches away, "Don't touch me! You're not going to take me anywhere!"

Tears start forming in Derek's eyes, "Isaac, I know you're in there. Look at me, remember me."

Isaac shakes his head as he starts crying as well. "I'm sorry. I don't . . . I-" Isaac's face goes blank before clarity shines in his eyes. "Derek?"

Derek's eyes focus on Isaac's wearily. "Isaac?"

His lower lip trembles, "What's happening to me?"

Derek stands up and pulls Isaac into a hug, rubbing his back. "Isaac, shhhh; it'll be okay, everything will be fine." He says gently.

Isaac squeezes Derek, "D-don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying." Derek whispers, "You will be fine, I promise."

There's a moment of silence as Derek pulls away and sits back down. "Where's Scott?" Isaac asks casually.

"Still with his mom; she's not doing too well, might not make it through the day." Derek replies sadly.

"Oh," Isaac says in surprise. "What happened to her?"


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay," The doctor smiles, "can you tell me what this is?" He holds up a picture.

"That's a bike," Isaac replies.

"Good, now this one?" The doctor flips to another image.

"Uhm . . . that's a . . ." Isaac searches his brain for the word. He knows it; it's on the tip of his tongue. "Butterfly." He finally says.

The doctor grins, "This is the last one." He shows another photo. This one feels different, more real, in a way.

"Doctor, I don't think-" Derek says.

"Derek, this is necessary. I need to know if he remembers or not." The doctor says politely.

Isaac focuses on the image. It's a man, older, with glasses. The face seems familiar but gives off a sad aura, like there are unhappy memories linked with him. Suddenly the face clicks into Isaac's mind. "T-that's my father." He whispers.

"Yes, very good." The doctor replies while writing something in his notes. Then he pulls out a pad of paper and a pencil, "Now-"

"Is he coming?" Isaac asks. "My dad. Is he on his way here?"

Derek grabs Isaac's hand, "Your dad's dead Isaac."

"No," Isaac denies, "he's not. I just ran out of the house last night after he threw the glass at me." Isaac tenses. "Don't let him come! He'll be mad at me for leaving. He'll lock me in the . . ." he trails off.

"Isaac?" The doctor says.

Isaac smiles, "Yes doc?"

Derek and the doctor exchange sad glances before the doctor speaks up. "Can you write your name for me?" He points to the pencil and paper.

Isaac shrugs and does what he's told. He also ends up writing stuff like his birthday and last name, what he had for breakfast and the color of shirt that Derek's wearing; all of which he did without a problem.

The doctor puts the paper in a folder and writes a quick note before looking back up at Isaac. "Okay. I've just got a few questions for you and then I'll get out of your hair."

Isaac puts his hands on his head, "My hair?"

The doctor laughs lightly along with Derek, "It's a figure of speech, Isaac."

Isaac grins, finally getting the joke, and puts his hands back into his lap. "Oh yeah. Sorry, I forgot. My memory is a little shitty 'cause I hit my head, you know."

"Yes, I know Isaac." The doctor chuckles. "So, first question; how old are you?"

Isaac grins, "That's an easy one. I'm seventeen."

"What is today's date?" The doctor questions.

Isaac frowns, "Uhm, doc, I think that you're forgetting that I've been unconscious for days and haven't had access to a phone or seen a calendar since I got here."

The doctor smiles, "Perfect answer. Now, can you name the months backwards from December for me?"

Isaac nods and recites it perfectly.

"Before you point to Derek, touch your right cheek with your left hand." The doctor instructs.

Isaac looks down at his hands, nervous. He wiggles his fingers as he tries to remember which hand is his left and which one is his right. Derek touches his shoulder, "Do you need the doctor to repeat the instructions?"

A tear escapes one of Isaac's eyes, "No, I know what to do." He glares at his hands, willing for the answer to come to him. Slowly, he raises his hands until they are in front of his face. He studies them, first with the palms facing him, then away. At last it clicks. He puts his left hand, the one that makes the 'L,' onto his right cheek and points at Derek with his right hand.

The doctor smiles, "Very good Isaac. I'm going to tell you an address and you need to remember it for me, okay?" Isaac nods, "Jane Smith, 56 West Street, Brighton."

Isaac repeats it out loud, and a few times in his head, then nods for the doctor to continue.

"Have you had any sort of past injury to your head?"

Isaac shrugs, "Not really."

The doctor looks at him quizzically, "Explain what you mean by 'not really.'"

Isaac shrugs again, "My dad used to hit me and stuff on my head. I've never been hospitalized for it though."

The doctor writes something in his notes before continuing, "Have you ever been depressed?"

"Nope." Isaac says, sounding bored.

"Did your father or mother have any health problems?"

Isaac thinks. Did they? "Not that I know of." He whispers.

"Okay, I've got a few quick tests, so sit tight." The doctor pulls out a penlight and tells Isaac to follow the glow with his eyes. Isaac was also told to tap his thumbs and pointer fingers together rapidly, and then walk across the room and back, heel-to-toe, while reciting the alphabet. "Okay, can you tell me the address that I told you to remember?" The doctor asks once Isaac is seated again.

Isaac closes his eyes and racks his brain for the answer. "Jane Smith," he whispers, "56 West Street," he stops. Where is West Street? He feels Derek grab his hand. "I don't know where." Isaac admits, tears rushing down his face. "I-it starts w-with a B though." He opens his eyes.

The doctor doesn't look upset or worried about Isaac's response, just encouraging. "Okay, was it Bermuda, Brighton or Baltimore?"

Isaac repeats each word in his head, none of them ringing a bell. "I-I-I don't know." He sobs. Derek squeezes his hand.

"Do you want me to write them down for you?" The doctor offers. Isaac nods and takes the paper the second the doctor offers it to him.

He looks at the words closely, studying each letter carefully. West Street is in . . . Isaac's eyes shift to the doctor, "Brighton." He says happily. "Jane Smith, 56 West Street, Brighton."

"Good job Isaac. You take it easy for the rest of the day and I'll be back tomorrow, okay?" The doctor says.

Isaac nods, "I'll see you then."


	9. Chapter 9

"Derek, when's my mom going to get here?" Isaac asks after a nurse delivers his dinner. "And my brother. They should be here by now."

The innocent and slightly worried look on the boy's face brings tears to Derek's eyes. "They aren't coming, Isaac."

"Why?" Isaac asks.

Derek sighs and runs his hands through his hair. "I need you to remember, Isaac." He whispers.

Tears form in Isaac's eyes; judging by the look on Derek's face, it isn't pleasant. "Remember what?" His voice sounds so . . . broken.

"Isaac, your mother and brother are-"

"Derek!" Stiles yells while running into the room, breathless.

He immediately senses that something is wrong. "Stiles, what happened?" Derek stands up and puts his hands on Stiles's trembling shoulders.

"Scott's mom . . . she's gone." He whispers.

Derek's hands fall to his sides, "You mean . . . she died?"

Stiles looks into Derek's now red eyes. "No, she's not dead." He says, "But her body's gone."

"What about Scott? Didn't he see anything?" Derek asks furiously.

"He doesn't remember. He says that one moment she was on the bed and the next, she was gone." Stiles explains.

"Is he alright?" Derek asks, concerned.

Stiles shakes his head, "He went bat-shit crazy and they had to sedate him. He's a couple of rooms over."

Isaac takes a deep breath and raises his hand. Derek sees him out of the corner of his eye and raises his eyebrows quizzically. "Yes Isaac?"

Isaac clears his throat, "Well, uhm, I think that the alpha pack took Scott's mom."

Derek and Stiles sit on the edge of Isaac's bed. "What makes you think that?" Derek asks gently, his eyes now back to normal.

Isaac shrugs, "They can steal memories, right? Maybe they took Scott's memories of them being there."

Stiles slaps his leg, "For someone who suffered a huge ass blow to the head four days ago, he's got a point."

Isaac smiles, "Well, I have a great memory, you know. My mom always said that I should remember everything because you never know what information you'll need in the future."

Stiles looks at Derek with a concerned expression, but Derek shakes it off. "Well, your mother was very smart Isaac."

Isaac's eyes widen, "Was?"

Derek grabs Isaac's hands, "She's dead now. She has been for a while, since before you moved here."

Isaac shudders, "D-does my brother k-know?"

Derek looks at the floor, "He's dead too."

Tears fall down Isaac's cheeks but he ignores them. "Did you kill them?"

* * *

Isaac flinches as he hears a knock on his bedroom door. "Come in."

His brother opens the door slightly and pokes his head in. "Dinner's ready."

Isaac gulps; he doesn't want to leave his room and face the next hour. After they eat he has to say goodbye to his brother. It's not fair that his mother just left and now his brother will be gone as well; leaving Isaac with his dad who hasn't been the same since mom died. "Okay, I'm coming."

His brother sighs and comes into the room. "Isaac, I'll only be gone for a few months."

Isaac wipes tears from his eyes, "What if you die in combat?" His voice is so broken and there's no mistaking the edge of fear in it. "I don't want to be left here with dad . . . he hates me. He's always angry at me."

His brother sits beside him on the bed. "He's not actually mad at you; he's just still grieving for mom. And he doesn't hate you; he loves you more than you will ever know."

Isaac shakes his head and looks into his brother's eyes. "Just promise me that you'll come back."

Isaac's brother smiles, "I promise."

'Don't make promises that you can't keep.' His father's words echo in Isaac's ears.

His dad reaches out and grabs Isaac by his hair. "Lets take a trip downstairs." He says menacingly.

Isaac goes along willingly; knowing that it would only be worse if he resisted, if he fought back. He had managed to stay calm until the dreaded white box loomed into sight. Isaac's heart instantly went into overdrive and he broke his vow of silence. "D-d-dad, p-p-please," Isaac pleads.

A hand slaps the side of Isaac's face hard; hard enough to give him a bloody nose and an almost instant black eye. He could feel the sting of the impact long after the hand was gone. "Don't you dare stutter again, not in my presence. Don't even speak to me unless I ask you too, got it ya little shit?" His father's face was only inches away from his own.

Isaac nods, "I understand." He swallows his fear and panic and says something really risky. "What did I do?"

His father shoves him into the wall with so much force that it causes his ears to ring. "What did you do?! What did you . . ." he trails off, muttering the same sentence to himself repeatedly. His father stomps towards Isaac, with a fresh wave of anger, and yanks Isaac up by the collar of his shirt. "It's your fault that my wife is dead," a punch is made to his jaw, "and it's your fault that my only other son is dead as well!" Another punch. "You deserve every bad thing that ever happens to you!" He slams the back of Isaac's head against the freezer and grins as Isaac cries out in pain.

Using the moment that Isaac was in a daze; his father unlatched the freezer door and flipped it open. He hoisted his son up and over the edge before locking it again. "And now you're going to pay." He whispered against the door before walking away, laughing.

At first Isaac did not panic and pound the suffocating walls like usual. Only one thought kept bouncing around in his mind; his big brother was dead, just like his mom. That was the first time Isaac gave up hope; the first time that he wanted to end his life.

And then the panic set in. With every desperate smack on the wall or tortured scream, the thought of death drifted further away.


	10. Chapter 10

(_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **__Okay, I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a few days...I've been busy & I had writers block. It was only the last few paragraphs that I was stuck on...anyway, I know that this story has been drifting a little from the Scisaac part, but I promise it will be coming back...you just need to wait. Also, if you guys are interested in checking out more of my writing, I have an account on Miss Literati. My username is thecullenrock, and I have lots of stuff on there. So, if I don't update for a while on here, I'll be updating books on there...I'm falling WAY behind with my book on that website...soooooo enough said...here's the chapter. :) )_

* * *

"Derek, I don't know what to tell you." The doctor says. "I've already told you what I think." He's talking in a rushed, but hushed, voice. "Face the facts Derek! It's been three weeks and his memory has clearly been deteriorating rapidly. I'd say that it's unlikely he'll ever regain any memories."

Derek stomps his foot, "Then what can we do to stop him from getting any worse?"

The doctor sighs, "Not much. We can put him on more medication and have him go to therapy sessions, on top of the memory games he does with me, but that's it. And there's no guarantee that any of that will help."

Derek presses his left hand to his temple, "There has to be something with a guarantee."

The doctor touches Derek's arm with a sad smile. "Life never has anything set in stone, but miracles happen everyday, so you might just get lucky." The doctor sighs. "I'd say that your best bet would be to take him home and try to make him feel like he's living somewhat normally; trigger memories, comfort him when he needs it and make him feel safe. I can give you a package of information that contains tips on how to take care of someone like Isaac and how to help him, and you, to cope."

"Okay," Derek sighs, "I'll try that."

The doctor smiles, "Okay. I'll be back soon with some papers for you to sign and then you're free to take him first thing tomorrow morning."

Derek and the doctor shake hands quickly before the doctor rushes off to look after more important business. Derek then joins Stiles, Allison and a very depressed looking Scott by Isaac's bed. "Did you hear that, buddy?" Derek says, pretending to be excited. "You can come home tomorrow."

Isaac furrows his eyebrows, "Home? Which one? I've moved so many times; you need to be clearer when you talk to me."

Derek grins, slightly amused with Isaac, "To my house. There's already a room for you and your stuff is already there."

Isaac grins. "You must have known that I'd be coming." He paused, "How long will I be staying for? My mom doesn't like it if I'm gone for too long . . ." He trails off when Derek starts to cry. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

Derek shakes his head and grabs Isaac's hand, "No, you're fine."

"Then why are you crying?"

Derek sighs, "Because I'm sad."

Allison snorts, "It's about time that the mighty Derek Hale finally admits that he has, and feels, emotions."

Stiles hits her shoulder, "Allison, shut up."

She grins, "Make me."

"Can you just stop talking?!" Scott yells. Everyone turns to look at Scott, who has tears streaming down his face and is shaking uncontrollably.

Isaac looks at the unfamiliar boy and feels a pain in his chest; he feels an overwhelming urge to comfort the boy. He grabs Scott's trembling hand. "What's wrong?"

Scott jumps up, yanking his hand from Isaac's grip. "What's wrong?!" he yells. "You of all people need to ask me that?"

"Scott, don't lash out at him." Derek growls. "He doesn't even remember who you are."

"That's the reason why I'm yelling at him Derek! I want my boyfriend to hug me and tell me that I'll be okay! Instead I'm sitting here watching him stare at us, completely oblivious as to what's going on! How's he supposed to make me feel better when he doesn't even know who I am?!" Scott pushes his chair so it falls to the ground and yanks the hospital curtain out of his way.

"Scott, I'm sure that deep down, Isaac probably feels the same way." Derek whispers. "He doesn't remember anything and it's killing him not knowing the whole story. Can you imagine how he feels right now, having you angry at him for something that he can't control?"

Scott growls and turns to face Derek. "Why do you want me to think about how he feels? What about how I feel? My mom's missing and everyone's acting like it didn't happen!"

Allison grabs Scott's arm, "Okay, yes we've been acting like nothing happened. That's because we don't know what to say to you about it; we don't want to make you upset."

Scott flinches out of her grip, "You guys are always talking about Isaac . . . do you think that that doesn't upset me?"

Allison looks at the floor, "At least there's hope for Isaac."

Scott stands there, shocked. "Are you saying that there's no hope for my mother? That she's as good as dead if she isn't already?"

"Scott," Derek says soothingly, "we'll continue looking for her tonight, after Isaac goes to bed."

Scott wipes tears from his eyes, "Answer my question." He demands.

Derek sighs, "Yes, okay, yes I think that you mother is dead! Is that what you want to hear? It's been three weeks Scott, she hasn't turned up yet, odds are she's gone, especially since she was in a coma when she went missing!"

Isaac grabs Scott's hand and pulls him close, "Don't worry. My mother is dead too."


	11. Chapter 11

Isaac felt a strange fear in his gut as he approached the house. It was small, as if only one or two people live in it.

The two people that are with him look at the building in sadness, almost as if it pained them to be there. "Why are we here?" Isaac whispers.

The older man of the two clears his throat. "To help you remember."

The other person, a boy about Isaac's age, grabs his hand, "Do you find this house familiar?"

Isaac looks harder, noticing details like the slant of the roof and the rust on the door hinges, but no memory surfaces. He's drawing a complete blank, like he has for the past month. "Nope. Nothing rings a bell." He says clearly.

The boy squeezes his hand, "You don't recognize anything at all?"

Isaac shrugs and looks from the house to the boy. "Should I?"

The boy's shoulders droop and he squeezes Isaac's hand again. "Maybe going inside will jog your memory."

Isaac looks hesitantly at the house. "It's kind of rude to just . . . walk in. What if somebody's there?"

The man frowns. "Nobody's home; I already checked."

Isaac looks up at the sky and notices the fading light of the sun setting and the beautiful pinks and purples that are cast across the sky. "It's getting dark," he says, switching his gaze back to the man, "which means that if someone isn't home now, they'll be home soon."

The man nods, "Well then, we better hurry up before someone comes." He and the boy start walking but Isaac doesn't move.

"What if we get caught?" Isaac whispers.

The two people stop and the boy turns around, "We won't get caught Isaac." He steps closer and takes Isaac's hand. "I promise." Despite the boy's reassurance, Isaac hesitates before taking a step.

Now it's the man's turn to face Isaac. He is expressionless as he pulls Isaac away from Scott and grabs his shoulders. "Why don't you want to go in the house Isaac?" He says, slightly aggressive.

_"__Why don't you want to go in the basement, Isaac?" _A voice rings in his head.

Isaac blinks back tears as his eyes focus on the man. "Derek, I don't think-" The boy starts, but is interrupted by Isaac.

"Derek? Derek . . . Derek?" His eyes go wide, "Derek! I know you! You gave me the bite, you made me part of your pack and you took me in when my dad . . ." Isaac stops mid-sentence and looks back at the house. He gasps as every memory involving that wretched building comes flooding back to him. "My dad . . ." The rest of his sentence is choked off by tears.

The boy, who Isaac now recognizes as Scott, brings Isaac into a hug. "It's okay now; your father can't hurt you anymore."

Isaac shakes his head that's resting against Scott's neck, "H-h-he u-u-used to put m-m-me in the f-f-freezer." Isaac sobs even harder into Scott's shoulder as every painful second spent in the box burns through his mind.

Scott rubs Isaac's back, "Your father isn't here to hurt you anymore."

Isaac pulls away and frowns at Scott, "Where'd he go?"

The boy puts his hand on Isaac's shoulder. "He's in a place where he'll never bother you again."

Isaac grins, "Good. I've been waiting for something bad to happen to him for a while now. Did you know that he used to beat me?"

Isaac watched as the mysterious boy that's holding his shoulder wipes a tear from his eye, "Yes, I know Isaac."

Isaac looks at the house and back to the boy. "Do you live here?" he asks innocently.


	12. Chapter 12

"What are we going to do?" Scott asks Derek as he closes the door to a sleeping Isaac's room.

"About what?" Derek asks from the couch.

Scott flicks him on the side of his head, "The full moon is tomorrow night."

Derek looks at Scott as if he's grown an extra head. "And that matters why?"

Scott sits next to Derek, letting out a loud and exhausted sigh. "Isaac doesn't remember anything; he doesn't remember werewolves, Derek!" Scott puts his head in his hands. "We have literally no clue about what will happen to him tomorrow night. We don't even know if he'll shift at all."

Derek snorts, "Why wouldn't he shift?"

Scott slaps his hands down on his knees. "His conscious memory is gone, so who's to say that his unconscious memory isn't damaged?"

"Are you implying that Isaac's body has forgotten that it's a werewolf?" Derek asks, confused and slightly impressed with how smart Scott has suddenly become.

Scott nods, "I know that it sounds crazy and impossible, considering the fact that he still has his werewolf hearing powers, but it is a possibility."

"Scott," Derek says, "that theory makes no sense at all. He still has wolf abilities, so therefore his body still knows that it's part wolf."

Scott shrugs, "Maybe it's only forgotten how to shift."

Derek gets up and goes into the kitchen, "I'm not having this conversation right now; he'll be fine, okay?" Scott can't help but notice the desperation in Derek's voice. Scott may be missing his lover, but Derek is missing his beta, a member of his pack. "Besides, maybe the full moon will help him remember." A full minute of silence passes before Derek speaks again, "How's the search going?"

Scott folds his arms over his stomach at the question about his mother. Derek helps out as often as he can, but lately he's been taking care of Isaac while Scott goes out searching with the rest of Derek's pack. "It's alright." He says evenly. "We can't locate where the alphas are though. If I didn't see Ethan and Aiden at school everyday, I'd think that they had left town altogether." He looks down at the floor. "We have no other leads."

Derek comes back to the couch with a cup of coffee in each hand, "None?"

Scott looks at the floor and shakes his head, not trusting his voice. He tries to hold his tears back, but they come with such a force that he can't help but cry. "Scott-" Derek begins.

"Don't." Scott interrupts while standing up. "Don't give me a speech about how we'll find her and she'll be okay. You know that's a load of bullshit." He runs his hands through his hair, "You were right from the beginning; she's probably dead and this whole search was useless." He wipes tears off his cheeks, but gives up when more take their place. "I'm going home now." He starts for the door.

"Scott," Derek's voice rings out, "you don't have to go back there by yourself. You're more than welcome to stay here."

Scott stops with his hand on the door, "My answer is still the same Derek."

Derek sighs, "I hate seeing you like this Scott, and I know that Isaac does as well."

Scott tenses, "Well, to be honest, I hate being like this too." He says before opening the door. Instead of storming out like he had planned, Scott let out a startled and terrified scream, muffled by his hand. Right outside the door was his mother's body; slowly bleeding out onto the floor.

* * *

Isaac wakes with a start. Covered in sweat, shaking slightly and on the verge of tears, he manages to sit up and try to sort through his jumbled thoughts. It had seemed so real . . . "It was just a dream." He whispers into his arms. It had been a dream, but at one point in Isaac's life it had been his reality. The freezer from the nightmare flashes back through Isaac's mind, causing him to bite back a scream.

He looks up at the window in his room, in an attempt to distract himself, and notices the sky slowly lighting up as the sun rises. A slight breeze ruffles the leaves on the trees and blows stray ones along the street, and to Isaac the scene looks peaceful. He blinks as a sense of familiarity comes to him, but frowns when the moment passes and he's left with nothing.

His hands clench into fists, overcome with frustration because he knows that he can't remember something as simple as the days of the week and there's nothing that he can do about it. The worst part is that his body torments him by putting these memories on the tip of his tongue and then taking them away. It's cruel and Isaac tries to deal with it but he can't, not for much longer. He can't live like this, it's painful to watch everyone else waste their lives trying to help him and look after him when nothing they try to help his memory is working. If he doesn't start remembering anything soon then he just might consider joining the rest of his family.

* * *

Danny is so engrossed in his science project that he barely hears the knock on his door. "Come in." He mutters while typing.

The door creaks and Ethan comes in looking really shaken up, like he's just seen a ghost. "Hey Danny," He whispers shakily.

Danny's head jerks up at the sound of his distressed lover's voice, "What happened?" He asks as he jumps up and rushes over to Ethan. "Are you hurt?"

Ethan shakes his head, "No, and it's nothing. Just pack stuff."

Danny wipes a stray tear off Ethan's cheeks. "Don't lie to me." He whispers.

Ethan bites his lip, "I've done something terrible Danny. I've messed up for the second time this month."

Danny guides him over to the bed and gently helps him sit down. "What did you do? You can tell me anything, I promise."

Ethan puts his head in his hands and shudders. "I've already ruined enough lives; I don't need to mess yours up too."

"Ethan, please . . . you have to tell me something." Danny pleads. "Why tell me about werewolves and your alpha pack if you won't let me in and help you?"

Ethan shudders again as more sobs rack his body; Danny's hug is doing little to calm him down. "I didn't mean to do it." He whispers. Out of nowhere he chuckles to himself, "Actually, I meant to . . . but I didn't want to."

Danny lifts Ethan's chin and forces him to meet his gaze. "I get it. But tell me, please? I could help." He says gently.

Ethan hesitates but then gives in. His shoulders droop as he starts talking, "Well, you know how Isaac got hit in the head and now he can't remember much?" Danny nods silently, his eyes urging Ethan to go on, "Aiden and I were fighting him when Ennis picked him up and threw him against the bleachers at the school. He passed out, but when Aiden and I went to go collect his body, he woke up. Deucalion told me to knock him out and take his memories away." Ethan cries even more. "It's my fault that he can't remember, Danny."

Danny squeezes Ethan's shoulders, "Why can't you just go give him his memories back?"

Ethan takes a deep breath and stops crying, "Because he heard too much about out plans."

"Bullshit." Danny answers. "Tell me the real reason."

Ethan bites his lip and looks down at his hands. "I can't tell you."

Danny sighs. "Can't or won't?"

Ethan looks back up at Danny's worried and protective eyes. "Both, I guess."

Danny takes Ethan's hands into his and kisses his cheek. "I promise that I won't tell anybody."

Ethan tenses, but speaks through gritted teeth. "He overheard Kali talking about what Deucalion was going to do with Scott's mom and-"

Danny holds his hands up in front of his chest, "Whoa, wait a second. I thought that you said that Deucalion was using Scott's mom as a sacrifice."

Ethan shrugs. "He planned on her living. In fact, the whole point of that night was to scare them and Derek's pack. People getting hurt was just a bonus in Deucalion's eyes. Besides, he had other plans for Scott's mom."

Danny's eyes widen, "Scott's mom is missing though." His hand clamps over his mouth as the realization hit him. "You have her, don't you?"

Ethan nods guiltily, "We did, but not now though. Deucalion is giving her back tonight."

"Is she alright?" Danny asks. "Scott's been worried sick about her."

Ethan looks at the floor. "She'll be fine."

Danny grips his lover's shoulders. "What is it that you're not telling me?"

Ethan clenches his hands into fists and bites his lip. "I didn't want to do it, Danny. Deucalion made me. He threatened to kill you if I didn't."

Danny rubs his back soothingly. "What happened? What did you do?"

Ethan looks down at his claws. "I bit her, Danny. I bit Scott's mom."


	13. Chapter 13

**(****Author's Note: ****Okay, I am so sorry that it's taken this long to update...I had writer's block for a while and I was actually busy the past few days :P Anyway, this chapter is super long, so I hope that makes up for the wait :P AND, I think that the end was too rushed...tell me in a review what you think :) The next chapter will explain a bit more, so yeah. Enjoy! :D And remember, reviews are appreciated :P) **

* * *

"Put her here, Scott." Derek motions towards the couch before rushing upstairs to get towels and other wound-cleaning/healing necessities.

Scott lays his mother down gently on the soft couch cushions, gripping her hand. "Mom, don't die." He chokes out. "Please don't leave me; I don't have anyone else." He focuses on the almost steady rhythm of her heart, willing it to keep beating.

Derek returns with an armful of supplies and Scott moves out of his way. Derek opens a first aid kit and cuts Melissa's shirt off before gasping. "Scott . . . come here."

Scott scoots from his mom's head over to Derek. "What – oh my god." Scott can't believe what he's seeing. On his mother's stomach is something that Scott hasn't seen in a little over five months and something that he never thought he'd see on his mother, a bite that has obviously come from a werewolf.

Scott clamps a hand over his mouth as tears form in his eyes, "Mom?" He gasps.

Derek looks at Scott wearily. "I'm going to clean her up, okay?" He says slowly and gently.

Scott nods from behind his hand, still in shock. His mom couldn't be a wolf, she didn't deserve to be involved with the supernatural world like this; she's too good. The worst part is that she didn't get a choice; she's forced into it like Scott was. There's very few humans left in Scott's life and he had felt almost normal around his mother, like none of the wolf stuff had ever happened. "Scott?" Derek's hand touches his shoulder.

Scott breaks out of his thoughts and notices that Derek has already cleaned and bandaged the bite, "Yeah?" He replies hoarsely.

"Everything will be okay." He says soothingly. "At least she knew about werewolves, right? Maybe it'll make it easier for her to adjust."

Scott shakes his head, slightly annoyed. "She shouldn't have to adjust, Derek! She deserves to be human!"

Derek squeezes Scott's shoulder. "Just calm down for a second-"

"Calm down?!" Scott yells, standing up. "You want me to calm down? My mom just got bitten by a freaking werewolf when I should have been able to prevent it! I was supposed to take care of her and keep her out of danger!"

Derek takes a hesitant step towards Scott, hoping not to enrage him even more. "Listen to me-"

Scott backs into the kitchen and picks up a glass. "Listen to you?! Where has that gotten me, Derek? My life went to shit when I started listening to you!" He throws the glass clumsily at Derek, which he easily avoided. A loud crash echoes throughout the room and Scott watches shards of glass fly in every direction.

The moment seemed to change something in Scott. He feels almost lighter . . . more relieved. Like giving into his anger for a split second has lifted a huge weight off his shoulders. Scott feels powerful, more powerful that he's ever felt. His body moves as if on its own across the kitchen. He watches as he rips the door off a cupboard and whips it at the wall. Scott smiles inwardly, lets out a roar of anger and begins to destroy anything he can get his hands on.

Derek watches from the doorway of his kitchen as Scott smashes all of his glass cups and cupboard doors. He doesn't care if they're ruined; he can buy more later. He only cares about Scott's well being. If ruining the contents of Derek's kitchen is what makes him happy, then so be it. He'd rather broken glass than dead bodies. Poor Scott has had to hold in so much emotion in the past month that it's a wonder he didn't break sooner.

After ten long, painful minutes, Scott collapses onto the floor in a sobbing heap. Derek winces at his strangled cries, almost wishing that he was still beating the crap out of his kitchen instead. "I need to go after them." He whispers through labored breaths.

Derek silently walks towards where Scott is huddled against the wall and crouches down to his level. "I promise, as soon as we get things sorted out, you can lead the charge against the alphas, okay?"

Before Scott can reply there's a knock on the door. "You stay here, okay?" Derek says to Scott, who responds with a weak nod before Derek, reluctantly, leaves him in the kitchen.

Derek tries to clear his head while he walks to the door, but Scott's desperate sobs echo in his head. In all honesty, he has no clue as to what to do to help Scott, so when he opens the door and sees Danny, Ethan and Stiles, he breathes a sigh of relief. Stiles can handle this way better than Derek ever could. "Where is he?" Stiles whispers.

Derek points behind him, "In the kitchen."

Stiles nods and rushes past him. Derek's attention turns to the alpha and his human mate. "What are you two doing here and how did Stiles know what happened?"

Danny grips Ethan's hand and pulls him into the loft. "Ethan explained everything to me and I figured that if anybody could help Scott, it would be Stiles."

"What do you mean by 'everything'?" Derek asks, looking at the alpha, anger filling his face.

Ethan looks at Danny for reassurance before looking back up at Derek. "It's a long story, so I'll make it quick." He says. "Deucalion made me take Isaac's memories and he . . . uh . . . he made me bite Scott's mom too."

Derek runs his hands through his hair, "That still doesn't explain why you're here." He snarls.

"I-I think I can give Isaac his memories back." Ethan whispers.

Derek sighs and decides to not let his anger take over. "If you think you can do it, go ahead. He's upstairs; you can reason with him yourself."

Ethan nods, "Thank you sir." He grabs Danny's hand and they climb the stairs.

Derek gets all of ten seconds to process what just happened before a frantic Stiles calls him. "Derek, come here!"

Hearing the urgency in his voice, Derek is there in two seconds flat. Scott's heart is racing, too fast, and his breaths are quick and labored. "He's having a panic attack," Stiles says, "and I can't get him to calm down. I think that we need some alpha command shit right now."

Derek nods in understanding, suppressing a smile at Stiles's choice of words, and kneels down next to Scott, placing a hand on his shoulder. If only he could take away emotional pain, not just physical pain. Derek makes his eyes go red, "Scott," his voice rings with authority, "look at me."

Scott's eyes shift to Derek but neither his breathing nor his heart slows. Derek puts one of Scott's hands against his chest, "Match my breaths. Breathe Scott." Scott closes his eyes and absorbs Derek's commands. He does his best to breathe when Derek does, but it's hard.

* * *

Isaac doesn't move when he hears his door creak open, he just keeps staring out the window. However, he does flinch when he hears Danny's voice, one he wasn't expecting. "Isaac?"

"Danny," Isaac whispers, still looking out the window, "what are you doing here?"

Somebody clears their throat, "I can give you your memories back, Isaac."

It takes a moment for Isaac to place the voice, "Ethan?"

"You remember me?" Ethan questions, stepping closer to Isaac.

Finally Isaac turns to face Ethan. "Yeah, but I don't know how. I just . . . I feel like I know you." He looks hesitantly at the alpha, "I also feel like I should be afraid of you."

Ethan sits next to Isaac on the bed, "Once you get your memories back, you'll understand why you feel like that." The boy says quietly. "You never have to talk to me again afterwards, if you don't want to, but I right now I can help you. Will you let me?"

Isaac nods, "Sure, but what are you going to do that will help? The doctors already said that I'll never be able to get my memories back."

Ethan looks into the slightly terrified boy's eyes, "It's difficult to explain, but I promise that I can do it and it will work. Do you trust me?"

Isaac takes a deep breath. "Yes, I trust you Ethan."

* * *

"How long until she wakes up, Derek?" Scott asks, looking down at his mother's unconscious face.

Derek looks at Scott's slightly worried expression, "I don't know. Her bite is almost done healing, so it shouldn't be too much longer."

Stiles grins from Scott's right, "Dude, how come everyone is getting turned into a wolf except me?"

Scott smiles, "I didn't get a choice in the matter."

"Stiles, we need you human." Derek states. "You're the one that keeps us sane."

Stiles reaches around Scott and flicks Derek's arm. "Glad I help with your sanity Derek, but it doesn't make me feel too special that I'm the pack's comic relief, ya' know. Everyone is getting to do cool stuff and is getting turned by accident; I've always had terrible luck, so it makes sense why none of the fun stuff is happening to me."

"Stiles," Derek says, anger creeping into his words, "you don't want the bite."

Stiles grins, glad that he can push Derek's buttons and bug him so easily. "You're right, I don't want it. But, it's only because I'll kick your ass and then everybody will think that I should be the alpha and you'll be all lonely."

Derek ruffles Stiles's hair on his way to the kitchen. "Keep dreaming buddy."

Danny and a very exhausted looking Ethan make their way down the stairs. "Well, I think it worked." Ethan huffs as he leans against the back of the couch.

"You _think_?" Derek snarls from the kitchen.

Danny sits next to Ethan and puts his arm around the energy drained boy's shoulders. "We won't know for sure until Isaac wakes up." He says.

"How long will that take?" Scott asks, his heart speeding up slightly at the thought of finally having his boyfriend back.

"It depends," Ethan breaths out, "It could be as fast as an hour or as long as two or three days."

"Days?" Scott gasps, "Why that long?"

"His memories come him while he's unconscious so his body will remember them while he's conscious. It's up to his body to figure out how fast it'll be able to take in the memories." Ethan groans, "I'm going to sleep now, so nobody talk to me."

Derek comes in with a plate of cookies and two bags of chips. "Here's dinner guys; I didn't realize that I was out of food . . . I'll go shopping tomorrow."

Scott grabs the plate, "Oh god . . . do these have M&M's in them?" He shoves a whole cookie in his mouth and makes a sound of pleasure. "These are delicious."

Stiles takes the plain chips and Danny has the Sour Cream and Onion ones while Derek goes to get drinks. "This has to be the best dinner ever!" Stiles exclaims as he shoves a second mouthful of chips in his face.

"Guys, shut up." Ethan groans, "I'm still trying to sleep over here. Giving back years worth of memories really drains you, you know."

Out of the blue Danny gasps in pain and reaches for his chest, a panicked look on his face. Ethan, now completely alert, has Danny's face in his hands, "Danny, what's wrong?"

Danny struggles to breathe normally through his racing heart. "I don't know. My chest hurts, right at my heart, and," he sucks in a few desperate breaths, "it's getting harder to breathe."

Ethan looks worriedly at Scott and Derek, who had just entered the living room. "I'll drive." Scott says, letting go of his mother's hand for the first time in an hour, knowing exactly what Ethan's thinking. Danny needs to get to a hospital, pronto.

Derek nods in agreement and tosses Scott a set of keys as Ethan picks Danny up. Within seconds the trio is gone, leaving Derek and Stiles the only conscious people in the loft.

* * *

"Help!" Ethan yells while carrying Danny into the hospital, "Help! I need help!"

A nurse rushes over and assists Ethan in easing Danny onto a chair; his condition has gotten much worse in the five minute drive here. "What happened?" she asks while taking out a stethoscope.

"We were sitting at home when he said that he had chest pains and trouble breathing." Ethan says, slightly rushed.

The nurse nods and starts feeling Danny's neck. "Did they start off as an ache, or was the pain intense right away?"

Ethan squeezes Danny's hand, "Intense right away." He says. "If it was aching before he didn't say so."

"Does he have a history of heart problems?" The nurse asks while calling for a gurney.

Ethan shakes his head, "I-I don't know. We haven't been dating for very long . . . he hasn't told me stuff like that yet."

The nurse nods, sensing Ethan's panic. "Okay. He's in good hands here; we'll make sure that he's safe."

Two other staff members come over with a gurney and Ethan watches helplessly as they roll him away. "Stay here, we'll keep you updated on his condition." The nurse says before rushing after the gurney.

Ethan collapses into the chair that Danny had occupied only moments before and lets the tears slide freely down his cheeks as he focuses on Danny's struggling heartbeat. "He'll be okay." Scott whispers while zoning in on the slowly diminishing heartbeat as well.

Then they hear it, emptiness. There was a thud and then nothing. Danny's heart has stopped. Ethan tenses and goes to get up, but Scott stops him. The boys wait in silence as they listen to the doctor's desperate attempts to restart his heart, without success.

Exactly two minutes and thirty eight seconds after Danny's heart stopped, the nurse from before appears with a sad look on her face. "I'm sorry." She says to the boys, "His lung collapsed and his heart was being pushed against his chest cavity. Despite the staff's best efforts, he is no longer with us."

* * *

It was almost two in the morning before Derek heard the door open. Stiles had fallen asleep nearly two hours before, after having Derek promise to wake him up once he got some news, leaving Derek to have his worry spiral out of control.

He had taken Ethan and Scott's long absence as a good sign, however, upon seeing Ethan's face, dead and hopeless, makes him think differently. Scott gives a slight shake of his head, towards Derek, signaling that the worst has happened. They've lost another innocent person.

Scott takes Ethan into the spare room upstairs and emerges a few minutes later, looking exhausted. Now that he's out of Ethan's radar he lets himself cry.


	14. Chapter 14

**(Author's Note:**_** Okay, I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry that it has taken this long to post...I've had it written for a few days but my internet was down for the past TWO DAYS, so I couldn't get on to post...I started typing it yesterday evening but then I had to go to a BBQ so yeah...I didn't finish typing until now. I am going to a cottage this evening for five days (not including today) so I won't have time to post at all BUT I will be writing so I'll three chapters, at the very least, done so I'll get them posted fast. I also have the rest of the book planned and there will be a sequel! BUT I wanna finish this before school starts, and when I do finish this I'm not starting the sequel until I'm done my other book 'Meeting Tristan.' It is posted on Miss Literati if you want to check it out, my name is thecullensrock. Anyway, just a heads up, the last two paragraphs in this chapter may be a little confusing, but all will be explained in the next few chapters. Sorry for that huge ramble, ENJOY THE CHAPTER! And, reviews are always appreciated :) **_

* * *

Scott slowly slides down to the floor, tears spilling freely down his cheeks. He had never been close to Danny, but they had been friends; the type that casually hang out at school but not at home. Scott had always had a strangely strong trust in Danny, he would have trusted him with his life, and Scott had always assumed that Danny would do the same; he was loyal to his friends. Despite them not being close, Scott feels as if he has lost a brother. "He didn't deserve to die." Scott whispers. "Not like that."

Derek sits next to Scott and pulls him into a hug. Scott accepts it gratefully and sobs into his shoulder. "What happened to him?"

Scott grips Derek's body, drawing blood where his nails dig into the alphas back. "The n-n-nurse said t-t-that h-h-his lung c-c-collapsed."

Derek rubs his hands through Scott's hair. "Shhhh, you can tell me in the morning once you've had some sleep and calmed down a bit."

Scott shakes his head and loosens his death grip slightly. "I can't sleep, not after watching what Ethan went through." He shutters at the memory.

"What happened with Ethan?" Derek asks, hugging Scott even tighter.

"He went crazy." Scott said. "He knocked out a nurse in his rage . . . I had to drag him out, kicking and screaming, tears rushing down his face. I – I couldn't control him. Derek, I was barely able to anchor him."

Scott's mind flashes back to the moment that they had been alone in the parking lot. Ethan had collapsed onto the cement, tearing some up in a yell of rage. "Ethan, listen to me." Scott had said calmly, even though he was holding back tears.

"Go away Scott!" Ethan had screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Ethan I can help you, okay. Get back into Derek's car, we'll go back to the loft and I'll help you. You can get through this, I promise." Scott had explained soothingly.

"He was my mate!" Ethan yelled. "Do you know how many people I've watched die?! Deucalion killed my family, right in front of Aiden and I. He made me kill my pack and he made me take Isaac's memories and bite your mom. How much death and destruction can one person take before they break?" He gasps for air. "I've hit my limit Scott; I can't do this anymore, I can't stay with Deucalion anymore."

Scott places a hand on Ethan's trembling back. "Where will you go Ethan?"

Ethan digs his nails into the cement even more and lets out another pained cry, "I d-d-don't k-k-know Scott." He's hyperventilating now. "I know that D-D-Deucalion k-k-killed him. H-he knows p-p-people . . . I want t-t-to h-h-help, Scott."

Scott rubs Ethan's back. "Breathe Ethan. What are you trying to say?"

Ethan shifts so he's sitting on his butt and his breathing returns to almost normal. His blood shot and tear filled eyes had stared straight into Scott's. "Deucalion is what caused Danny's lung to collapse. He got someone to cause it to happen, I just know it. Him killing my family I could handle because I still had Aiden and my promise of an alpha status. Killing my pack I could take because I still had Aiden and my super-alpha status . . . but killing Danny is going too far. He's the first person that I've ever truly loved . . . I want to help kill the man that is responsible for his death."

Scott had squeezed Ethan's hand. "What are you getting at?"

Ethan had taken a deep breath before replying to Scott. "I'm going to help you."

Now, as Scott looks into Derek's eyes, he says something that he would have thought impossible six months ago. "Derek, Ethan's on our side now. He's going to do anything to kill Deucalion, just like us."

* * *

The next few hours were hell for Scott, who cried so much that his head and throat hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before, and he could barely keep his eyes open. It was twice as bad for Derek who had to watch the boy go through so much pain and know that there was nothing he could do to comfort him but hold him tight.

Derek sighed in relief when Scott finally fell asleep. He carries the boy up to a spare room and tucks him in before being stopped in the doorway by a pissed off Stiles. "Dude," the teen said, "you didn't tell me they were back!"

Derek steps out of the room and closes the door, joining Stiles in the hallway. "They were both in a really rough shape, Stiles."

Stiles hesitates before speaking. "Danny . . ."

"Is dead." Derek whispers. "All I got from Scott was that his lung had collapsed."

Tears swim in Stiles's eyes. "How's Ethan doing?"

Derek sighs. Of course Stiles is more concerned about someone else than himself. "To be honest, Stiles, I don't really know. Scott said that he was really torn up about it, but I haven't talked to Ethan myself yet."

"How are _you_ feeling about all of this Derek? You look terrible." Stiles points out.

Derek leans against the wall, "I just spent half my night worrying about an innocent boy and the other half comforting a grieving werewolf, both of which are very stressful and neither of which involve getting any sleep. How _should_ I look Stiles?"

Stiles put his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay Sourwolf, sorry for trying to-"

"Trying to what?" Derek asks, folding his arms across his chest and raising his left eyebrow quizzically.

Stiles's mouth drops for a moment while he tries to think of something to say. "I was trying to . . . umm . . ." His cheeks start to go red.

An amused smile comes across Derek's face. "I love how I make you so embarrassed." He whispers. "It's very amusing."

"I'm not embarrassed! Pffff . . . that's crazy talk . . . why would you think that?" Stiles exclaims, but since his face is getting even redder it only confirms what Derek already knows.

Derek steps forwards and ruffles Stiles's short hair. "I'm going to check on Scott's mom."

Stiles watches as Derek _'sexy werewolf ass'_ Hale walks down the stairs and mentally slaps himself for being so stupid. Since when is Stiles-freaking-Stilinski ever at a loss for words? He always had something to say, until he started to fall in love with Derek that is.

Stiles shakes his head and peeks into Scott's room. His best friend is curled up in a ball on the bed with his eyes staring wide and tear-filled at the wall. He must not have actually been asleep when Derek brought him up here; that or the weird flirting they had going on woke him, "Scottie." Stiles says softly. After years of being through Scott's lowest times, Stiles knows exactly how to handle a sad and depressed Scott.

Scott inhales sharply and exhales slowly as his claws come out and retract, "Stiles." His voice breaks.

Stiles crouches next to Scott's head and grabs his hand. "Hey bud, we'll be okay. We'll get through this together."

"I feel empty." Scott whispers. "Ethan said that he's his limit, but I think I have too."

Stiles swallows his tears as an old memory surfaces. "Scott, remember when my mom died and I said the exact same thing you just said, before I tried to eat all those pills." Scott nods weakly as Stiles wipes a tear from his eye. "What did you say to me?"

Scott closes his eyes as he thinks back to the day that Stiles almost committed suicide; exactly one week after his mom had died. After a minute he opens his eyes and stares at Stiles. "I told you that although you miss the dead," the two boys swallow their tears, "it's the living that you need more and there's always somebody who needs you."

Stiles smiles sadly, "Exactly. Now, think about that for a moment and tell me who in this world needs you right now?"

"My mom," Scott whispers as he wipes tears from his eyes.

"Who else?" Stiles encourages.

"Isaac," Scott says, "a-and you. And Ethan and Boyd and Derek."

"Stiles sticks his tongue out, "Derek's mine."

Scott grins weakly, "Well, I've got Isaac."

Stiles snorts, "Derek would so kick Isaac's ass in a fight."

Scott sits up, a real smile on his face. "Yeah, but that doesn't make Derek better."

Stiles flicks Scott's arm. "In a world of werewolves, I think it does."

"Ladies, Ladies," Derek says from the doorway, "Stop fighting about me."

The two boys grin. "And that's why I love my Sourwolf." Stiles says, "He always has perfect timing."

Derek gives Stiles a look that practically screams '_have sex with me'_ before looking back to Scott. "Your mom wants to see you."

"She's awake?" Scott asks.

"No," Derek says, "that's why she wants to see you. Of course she's awake you idiot."

Scott smiles and looks at Stiles. "Was Derek actually trying to be funny?"

"I think he was." Stiles gasps dramatically and then laughs when Derek shoots him a typical, emotionless Derek Hale look.

"I guess I'll go keep your mom company then." Derek says as he leaves the room.

"He so wants to bang you." Scott whispers.

"I know." Stiles grins back. "And trust me, I've been waiting months for that beautiful, sexy, Alpha di-"

"Stiles, shut up!" Scott says, trying not to smile, "He can hear you, ya know."

"Good." Stiles says, standing up. "I wanna bang you too!" He yells. "Now that that's taken care of, let's go see you mom Scott."

* * *

Isaac wakes in a cold sweat; too many memories swimming around for him to focus on any one thing. The last thing he remembers is Ethan in his room and then black. Thinking back, nothing makes sense.

He remembers the janitor's closet and admitting his love to Scott, the fight with the alphas and then waking up in the hospital. Ethan had come to give him his memories back, but Isaac had never lost any memories. He remembers everything leading up to Ethan, so what exactly did Ethan do?"


	15. Chapter 15

**(****Author's Note:****_Okay, sorry that I haven't posted in a while...I've been at a cottage like I said in the last chapter :P I've got the next few chapters ready, so I'll definitely have a new one posted tomorrow :) And, just a heads up, I didn't proof-read this chapter so sorry in advance for mistakes...)_**

* * *

"Mom!" Scott yells as he rushes across the room to pick her up in a hug.

She pulls him close. "Scott, honey, I'm so glad you're okay." She says into his hair, tears dangerously close to spilling out of her eyes.

Scott sets her back on the ground. "Me? Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Deucalion said that you were going to be a sacrifice." She whispers, then shrugs, "Oh well, at least you're alive. That's all that matters, right?" She goes for an unconvincing smile.

"Mom, you're the one who was sacrificed." Scott whispers.

"Almost sacrificed, actually," Stiles says. "She didn't actually die."

Melissa grins slightly and looks directly into her son's eyes. What she sees makes her frown, something's wrong. Although he's smiling, Scott's eyes look dead, like he's already given up hope and stopped living. She's only seen him like this twice; once when his dad left them and again when she had had a cancer scare about two years ago. "What happened Scott?" She murmurs.

Scott grabs her hand and looks at the floor. "I'm fine."

Melissa lifts her son's chin. "That's not what I asked, sweetheart."

Normally Scott would have said something about her calling him 'sweetheart' in front of him, but at the moment he doesn't care. "Danny died yesterday." He finally whispers, tears forming in his eyes. "And you're a werewolf . . . Mom; you shouldn't have to deal with this!"

Melissa pulls her shaking son into her arms, rubbing his back and whispering soothing words to him, deciding that it would be better to ask someone else about Danny later. "The damn full moon tonight is getting me all emotional." Scott mutters into his mom's neck.

Melissa steps back, a scolding look on her face. "Now, now Scott, don't you dare complain. Be glad that it's only one day a month that you get all hormonal." She snorts. "I have to deal with, like, five or six."

Scott makes a noise of disgust. "Aww Mom, don't talk about _that_. Please."

Melissa smirks, glad that she can still make her son uncomfortable every once in a while. She was about to say something back when a scream sounds from upstairs. "That sounds like-"

"Isaac." Scott whispers as he races up with stairs, followed closely by Derek.

"Well Melissa," Stiles says, sitting down on the couch, "I'm sad to see a member of Team Human cross over to the supernatural side."

* * *

One moment Isaac had been looking out of the window trying to figure out what exactly Ethan had done to him and the next he was staring at his father's reflection in the glass. "Everything's your fault." His father said.

Isaac bowed his head in surrender. "I'm sorry."

His father laughs humorlessly and takes a few steps into the room. Each footfall echoes painfully in Isaac's ears. "I don't think you understand me, son." He says, his tone neutral. "Because of you your mother is dead, your brother is dead and you spent a month being brain-dead and useless. Everything that has happened to you is your fault; you deserve every single moment of pain that life brings you."

"The alpha attack wasn't my fault." Isaac whispers. "I didn't ask for Ennis to throw me that hard."

His dad closes the last few feet of distance between them, anger seeping into his expression. "You got thrown because you couldn't defend yourself! You deserved it! You should have trained more, Isaac, because you're weak, useless and everyone would be better off without you! You only slow them down and distract them; Isaac, you're a liability."

Isaac can't stop the tears from leaving his eyes, so he lets them fall freely. "I promise that I'll do better."

His dad slaps Isaac's right cheek. "Stop making promises Isaac!" He yells as he yanks the boy to his feet by his hair. "You won't keep them; you're not enough of a man to own up to your faults. You're worthless to me, to anybody, you stupid little shit!" He tosses Isaac back down onto the bed. "I should've let you suffocate in that freezer a long time ago!"

Without waning his dad disappears and the walls start closing in on Isaac. He screams and struggles to get to the door but he can't find it; he only sees the walls getting closer and closer and closer. "Stop! Make it stop!" He screams, putting his hands over his ears and squeezing his eyes shut. "Dad, stop!"

Someone grabs his wrist and Isaac flinches, crying out. "Dad, I-I'm s-s-sorry." He sobs.

"Isaac," a voice says softly, "open your eyes." He knows that voice; in fact it's the same voice that comforted him in the janitor's closet.

Isaac's eyes burst open. "Scott?" He whispers as the other boy's face focuses in Isaac's vision.

Scott reaches for Isaac's wrist again and this time Isaac lets him take it. "I'm right here babe, I've got you, don't worry. I won't let your father hurt you anymore."

"W-what's happening t-to me?" Isaac whimpers. "M-my d-dad was r-right t-there." He points towards the door with a shaky hand. "A-and then h-he was g-gone."

Derek sits on the other side of Isaac and takes his free hand. "Maybe it's an aftershock from getting his memories back."

"What are you talking about?" Isaac asks.

Scott hesitates, "Isaac, tell me what happened to my mom."

"She was hurt by the alphas and then taken from the hospital while she was in a coma. Have you found her yet?" He asks.

Derek sighs in relief. "It worked." He whispers. And then, "Yes, she turned up at my door last night."

"Is she okay?" Isaac asks wearily, looking from Derek to Scott.

Scott smiles weakly. "She's alive." He whispers.

Isaac looks longingly into Scott eyes, searching for what he's hiding, "And?"

Scott leans a little closer to Isaac, so close that their noses are mere millimeters away from each other. "She was bitten. She's a wolf now." Before Isaac can process what Scott had said, the small distance between them was closed and their lips touch momentarily. "I missed you Isaac." Scott whispers.

Isaac kisses Scott slightly more aggressively than before. "I did too."

Derek smiles and stands up. "I'll just leave you two alone."

Isaac grins, wraps his arms around Scott's neck and pulls the boy's body even closer to his own. "Bye Derek."

* * *

"So," Melissa says as Derek makes his way down the stairs, "how long have they been . . . together?" She nods towards the stairs as a loud thump and cry of pleasure sound from above them.

"Since the alpha attack at the school." Derek says as if it's no big deal that the two boys upstairs are getting pretty darn intimate.

Melissa stands up slightly angry. "And how come I was not informed of this?"

"Melissa," Stiles grins, "you've been in a coma or missing during their entire relationship so far."

"That's no excuse." She grins, all anger gone. "God, I was waiting for them to finally hook up."

"You knew they liked each other?" Stiles asks.

Melissa sits back down on the couch, "Stiles, honey, I'm pretty sure that everyone knew except them." Another loud thump echoes throughout the loft. "Do they really need to be so loud, though?"

Derek smiles, "It's a full moon tonight, their lust is at its peak."

"Yeah, that and this is the first time that both of them have been fully aware of themselves since the attack." Stiles adds.

Melissa frowns, "What do you mean by 'fully aware of themselves'?"

"It's a long story," Derek begins, "so I'll make it quick. Isaac got thrown into the bleachers and the gym and was unconscious almost immediately. He woke up in the hospital three days later and seemed alright except for the fact that he'd been having seizures and his memory was a little fuzzy. Over the next few weeks he started to rapidly lose memories and the doctors told us that he probably wouldn't get them back, so we brought him back here and tried to jog his memory whenever we could. Turns out Ethan was told by Deucalion to take Isaac's memories away, so Ethan and Danny came to give Isaac his memories back."

"Wait." Melissa says, "Ethan? Deucalion? They're in the alpha pack, right?"

"Correct." Stiles says, "Deucalion is the leader though."

"And Ethan is the one who bit you." Derek says. "Do you remember anything about that?"

Melissa goes quiet for a few minutes as she thinks, leaving Derek and Stiles nothing to do but listen to the loud thumps that don't seem to be stopping anytime soon. "I don't remember much." Melissa finally whispers.

"What do you remember?" Stiles asks gently.

Melissa sighs, "I was sitting at home, it was my day off from work, when there was a knock on the door. I opened it and there was nobody there so I turned to go back to the living room but there was a woman standing in my way."

"What did she look like?" Derek interrupts.

"She had long dark hair and her nails were really long."

"Kali," Derek whispers, then clears his throat. "What happened after you saw her?"

"She grabbed me, dragged me to a car and drove to the school. And, uhhh, you know what happened after that." Melissa finishes.

"What did the car look like?" Derek asks.

"It was . . . I don't . . . I . . ." Melissa unexpectedly stands up and starts pacing. "Derek," she lets out a noise of frustration.

Derek steps forwards with a hand out, ready to grab her shoulder. "Take a deep breath. Okay. Calm yourself down, this mood is just the effect of the full moon."

Melissa calms down a bit, but still looks a little anxious, "The full moon?" She laughs humorlessly. "Well kudos to Scott for hiding _this_ from me for so long."

Derek chuckles, "It's easier to manage after a while. Although, you may settle down if you're near your alpha."

"Ethan?" Melissa says, "No way. He's-"

"Here." Derek concludes. "Ethan's here and he told Scott that he's going to help us."

"Is he alright? Why isn't he out here?" Melissa asks.

"Dudes," Stiles pipes up, "I'd love to stay and chat but Papa Stilinski is looking for me, so I've gotta scram. I'll see you two tonight." He leaves before anybody could even blink.

"What's up with him?" Melissa asks.

Derek sighs and sits on the couch. "He's just stressed about Scott and worried about the alphas and a little on edge because of the full moon tonight; wolves are strongest on days like today. Besides, his dad doesn't know about any of this so it's hard for Stiles to be here all the time."

Melissa puts her head in her hands, "This is a lot to take in. There's just so much information swimming around in my head that it feels like I'm about to explode."

Derek grins, "Well, I guess it's time to find Ethan."


	16. Chapter 16

**(Author's Note:****_I apokogise for the extremely late chapter...I've been struggling with some personal stuff in the past few weeks, and if you know what my username means, then you know what I've been struggling with. ANYWAY, on top of that, I didn't like the chapter that I originally wrote, so I had to re-write the whole thing...AND I had writers block...hopefully this huuuuge chapter makes up for my lateness :) I spent roughly 2 1/2 - 3 hours typing and editing this thing...enjoy!) _**

* * *

Melissa knows that the boy sitting in front of her is supposed to be an alpha, but his blank expression and distant eyes don't give off the type of authority that she had imagined. However, the second that she steps into the room, she feels, as well as smells, the werewolf's presence and her nerves instantly go away; she instantly feels relaxed and at peace. There is also a weird urge to make Ethan happy; she can sense his sadness and wants to make him better. But it's more than just an urge, she feels like it's a need; she needs to make her alpha happy. "Ethan?" Melissa whispers.

The boy doesn't reply, but his eyes seem to focus on Melissa. Tears instantly start trickling down his cheeks and Melissa can hear his heart start to race. So, she does the only thing that feels natural; she pulls Ethan into a tight, comforting hug and shoves his face into her neck, surrendering herself to him, reminding him of his alpha status. The boy breathes in her scent as if it's oxygen and Melissa does the same to him. "I'm so sorry." Ethan breathes.

Melissa smiles and kisses Ethan's cheek. "It's okay, honey. I'm fine."

Ethan pulls away and shakes his head. "No, it's not okay." His voice shakes. "I've hurt Isaac and you and Scott and I wouldn't have tried to make things right unless . . . unless . . . Danny . . ." He bites his lip and closes his eyes. "Losing a member of your pack is like losing a limb . . . but losing a mate is like trying to breathe without oxygen; it's as if you're drowning." He whispers.

"Danny was your mate?" Melissa asks gently.

Ethan nods, his eyes still closed. "I loved him. I was prepared to do or give up anything for him . . . we . . . I was going to turn him. He wanted me to and I told him to wait until school ended." Ethan pauses. "I should have just bit him when he asked me to."

Melissa squeezes his hand, "Sweetie, don't live the rest of your life in regret. You thought that it was best to wait, you can't change that."

Melissa watched as Ethan does what she has seen Scott do countless times, push away all emotions and look empty. Ethan looks almost like he had when Melissa first came in the room; his eyes just aren't as distant. "Leave me alone." He whispers. "I want to be alone right now."

Melissa silently gets up, but stops at the door. "Ethan, sitting alone all day is going to make things worse. You need to put some faith in this pack and trust them. If you let them, they'll help you." Ethan responds by blinking and Melissa takes that as her cue to leave.

* * *

"Oh god, Scott, I love you." Isaac whispers as the two boys snuggle into each other.

Scott smiles and kisses Isaac's forehead. "After what we just did, you better love me."

Isaac pulls Scott closer. "I want you." He moans.

Scott slides his right hand slowly down the side of Isaac's body until he's cupping his bare ass. "I want you too." He squeezes Isaac's butt playfully and rolls so he's on top of Isaac, and grips both of his thighs. "But we need to go and get prepared for tonight."

Isaac wraps his arms around Scott's neck. "Prepare for what?"

Scott sighs and kisses Isaac's forehead before climbing off the bed. "It's my mom's first full moon tonight. It's gonna be rough."

Isaac rolls off the bed and slips on a pair of boxers and tight fitting jeans. "She'll be fine Scott." Isaac says. "Mama McCall is the toughest chick I know."

Scott, now fully dressed, raises an eyebrow. "Mama McCall?"

Isaac grins and puts his arms around Scott's neck. "You have to admit, it has a ring to it."

Scott smiles and grabs Isaac's wrists. "It makes her seem like a badass."

Isaac's hands move to the side of Scott's head, on top of his ears, where his fingers immediately start fiddling with Scott's 'after-sex' hair. "Well, she is kinda a badass 'ya know."

Scott gives Isaac a quick peck on the cheek and turns towards the door. "It's weird having someone talk about my mom like that. Now, come on, Derek's probably waiting for us."

Isaac, still shirtless, meets Scott in the doorway and takes his hand. "Okay, but promise me one thing." Isaac whispers seductively.

"What?" Scott asks as they reach the top of the stairs.

Isaac squeezes Scott's hand gently, "You stop being so tense and worried."

Scott smiles as his mother comes into view. "I promise." He whispers.

"Isaac!" Derek calls from the kitchen.

"Yeah Derek?" Isaac yells back.

"Come help me make lunch, we've got five werewolves to feed." Derek replies.

Isaac sighs, the thought of letting go of Scott's hand is unbearable, but he goes to the kitchen anyway, leaving Scott and his mom alone. "So . . ." Melissa says, turning to her son, "Isaac, eh? He's a good pick, so adorable."

Scott's face goes bright red. He knows that his mom would have heard him and Isaac in bed, but he still feels a little awkward and weirded out talking about his _boyfriend_ with his mother. "Yeah . . . I . . . uhhh . . . . I like him."

Melissa grins but her smile quickly falters. "I talked to Ethan earlier." She whispers.

Scott grabs her hand and leads her into the living room, both of them taking a seat on the couch. "How was he?"

"Not good." She says. "He's completely shut himself down . . . he can't handle the pain of losing his mate." Melissa sighs, "Scott, I've seen humans that weren't half as bad as him and it took them months to return to even a little like themselves. Ethan's a werewolf; his recovery is going to be longer."

Scott rubs the back of his mother's hand with his thumb, "He'll come around faster than you think."

"What makes you say that?" Melissa asks.

Scott shrugs. "He's got all of us . . . his pack and you, his only beta. You haven't felt the bond of a pack yet, but you will, and trust me, it's like nothing you've ever felt before. We're closer than family."

Melissa smiles and hugs her son. "I heard you say that tonight is gonna be rough . . . what exactly is gonna happen to me?"

"We're gonna have to tie you up . . . it's hard to control the shift at first. But trust me, you'll be fine." Scott says.

Melissa shrugs then smiles. "You know what Scott? I'm happy like this. It's so different and weird, but I like it."

Scott sighs. "Mom, you shouldn't have to be involved with this stuff."

"Scott, I was involved before." Melissa counters.

"But mom-"

"No 'buts' Scott." Melissa says sternly, looking into her son's pained eyes. "You've got enough on your plate without worrying about me. I'm fine, Scott, and-"

Melissa is interrupted by a raspy and dead voice at the bottom of the stairs. "Scott?" A panicked looking Ethan is gripping the railing so tight, it's like it's his lifeline.

Scott rushes over to him and gently uncurls the boy's fingers, ignoring the dents in the metal. "Good morning Ethan." Scott says, attempting to smile.

Ethan grabs Scott's arms, just below his elbows, and takes several deep breaths to steady himself. "M-morning." He stutters.

"Are you hungry?" Scott whispers. "Derek and Isaac are making lunch right now."

Ethan's claws come out and he starts trembling. "I-is Isaac okay?"

Melissa puts her hands on Ethan's shoulders. "Honey, take deep breaths, okay?"

"Isaac's fine." Scott says as Ethan leans into Melissa's touch. "Whatever you did worked."

Ethan smiles slightly, "Good." He takes a few shaky breaths. "Has he had any hallucinations yet?"

"He did earlier." Scott whispers. "Why?"

Ethan sighs and sits down on the stairs; Melissa positions herself beside him and Scott crouches so he's eye level with Ethan. "He'll get those for a few days." Ethan whispers, "And up to multiple times a day as well."

As if on cue a loud crash and a petrified scream sound from the kitchen. Ethan's head snaps up, along with Scott's and Melissa's. "You better go get him, Scott." Melissa says to her son.

Scott, now pulled out of his daze, jumps up and races towards the source of the scream.

* * *

Isaac smiles at Derek, "Pancakes for lunch? Seriously?"

Derek shrugs, "That's what there is."

Isaac puts his hands on his hips. "I thought that you said you were going to go shopping."

"I did go shopping. I had to buy the least expensive meals I could because chains aren't exactly cheap." Derek says while mixing stuff together.

"Chains?" Isaac questions as he turns the stove on and places a pan on the slowly heating burner.

"Melissa?" Derek raises an eyebrow. "It's her first full moon tonight."

Isaac's shoulders droop. "Oh yeah. I wonder how Scott's gonna take it."

Derek sighs, "As long as you're there, he'll be okay."

Isaac looks down at his hand. "Derek, can I talk to you about something?"

Derek, sensing his Beta's discomfort and hesitation, stops stirring the pancake batter and turns to face Isaac. "Yeah, what's up?"

Isaac wrings his hands and looks up at Derek with his big blue eyes. "Uhm . . . I need your help with something."

Derek raises an eyebrow, "With what?"

Isaac gulps and closes his eyes. Why is he so nervous? After a few moments he re-opens his eyes and looks at the floor. "Uhm, well . . ." Isaac takes a deep breath and glances back up at Derek. "I love Scott."

_"__Everybody you love dies because of you." _

Isaac ignores the familiar voice in his head. "And I want to do something special for him, and I want to make it perfect."

"What do you want me to do?" Derek asks, now smiling.

"Well, you've known him longer than me . . . so I was hoping that you could help me plan something." Isaac grins.

Derek puts his hand on Isaac's shoulder. "Of course I'll help you. How about after lunch the two of us go grocery shopping and we'll talk stuff over then, okay?"

Tears of joy spring to Isaac's eyes. "Yes, that's perfect." He pulls Derek into a hug. "Thank you so much Derek!"

Derek chuckles lightly and pulls away from Isaac. "It's no problem . . . now let's get cooking, okay?"

_"__You're the problem!"_

"W-what did you say?" Isaac stutters.

Derek turns from the pancake mix and stares at Isaac in confusion. "I didn't say anything."

_"__Why can't you do anything right?" _

Isaac inhales sharply. "Derek . . . what are you talking about?"

Derek frowns, "I haven't said anything. Are you feeling okay?"

_"__You don't mean anything to me! You're worthless and lazy and-"_

Isaac drops the glass measuring cup he had picked up and presses his hands over his ears. "Dad, stop!"

At the mention of Isaac's dad, Derek's eyes widen; Derek has no idea how to handle the situation. The person that usually handles this is Scott. Scott. Derek sighs in relief when the beta comes running into the room.

Scott grabs Isaac's wrists as the frightened beta continues to scream. "Isaac? Isaac, listen to me."

If the boy heard Scott, he doesn't show it. "Scott, he said something about his dad, it's probably a hallucination like earlier." Derek says.

The word 'hallucination' seems to spark something in Scott, "Get Ethan." He says with a sudden air of authority.

"Already here," Ethan says, crouching next to Scott, who is now cradling a screaming Isaac in his lap on the floor.

"What should I do?" Scott asks desperately.

Ethan stares at Isaac for a moment, as if lost in a memory, but his eyes soon come back to reality. "Just hold him, talk to him and let him know that you're here." Ethan says. "That's all you can do."

Scott hugs Isaac closer and starts whispering in his ear, but after a few minutes it's clear that it's not working. "What do we do?" Scott asks, now starting to panic.

Ethan sighs and reaches a hand out towards Isaac, grabs his chin and tilts it so his head is level with Ethan's. The alpha's eyes go red and his teeth elongate. "Isaac." Ethan says with such a force that even Derek seems slightly scared.

All at once Isaac's body relaxes in Scott's arms. The boy sucks in a few shaky breaths before his eyes focus on the alpha that had brought him out of his hallucination, Ethan. Isaac's body stiffens in fear, his heart suddenly racing and his face immediately contorting in anger.

He pushes Scott's arms off of him and jumps to his feet, now fully transformed and snarling with anger. "What are you doing here?" He screams at Ethan.

Derek opens his mouth to speak, but Ethan holds up a finger, stopping him. "I live here now Isaac." Ethan says calmly. "The pack is taking me in because I've realized that what I've done in the past is wrong and I want to help you guys do what's right."

Isaac turns to Derek. "You let him in?!" He snarls. "You can't trust him! He's lying to you!" Isaac sucks in a few breaths of air, his body now trembling with anger, as he turns back to Ethan.

"Isaac," Ethan says, holding his hands out in surrender, "I know it's hard to believe, but-"

Isaac runs towards Ethan, grabs his neck and shoves him against the wall, effectively cutting off Ethan's words. Isaac grips the alpha's neck a little tighter. "What did you do to me?" He snarls.

"I gave your memories back Isaac, that's all." Ethan replies calmly, despite the fact that Isaac could kill him in a matter of seconds.

Isaac squeezes harder, cutting off Ethan's airway completely. "Oh, but I never lost any memories . . . you did something to me!" He slams Ethan's head against the wall and cracks start spidering where Ethan's head had made contact. "What did you do to me?" Isaac screams in his face.

The others seem to overcome their shock at the sight of Isaac actually starting a fight; Scott and Derek grab Isaac's arms and pull the struggling boy away, while Scott's mom goes to Ethan. "What's the matter with you?" Derek screams at his beta. "Ethan helped you!"

"I guess I should've told you the effects sooner." Ethan croaks.

"What do you mean?" Scott asks.

Ethan stands up and leans against the wall, Melissa helping him keep his balance. "Giving memories back isn't the same as taking them away. One, its more draining for both if the participants, and two, the person's body reacts differently when it's receiving memories, even if it's their own. When memories are suddenly gone, the brain adapts and finds some way to use up the extra empty space. However, when the brain suddenly receives all these memories, it doesn't have anywhere to store them, because it's already adapted to life without them."

"What does that have to do with why Isaac really hates you all of a sudden?" Derek asks.

Ethan sighs, "His hallucinations are a sign that his body is absorbing the last of his memories properly. The fact that he hates me because I 'did something to him' is a hallucination. He doesn't remember me giving his memories back, so his brain is making up a story until he remembers. He'll be fine within a day or two . . . maybe even after he has a good night's sleep."

"Don't listen to him!" Isaac pleads hysterically.

Ethan grins sheepishly. "I'll go out to the living room now so he can calm down. Feel free to order take-out for lunch and I'll be glad to pay for it."

Derek nods and watches as both Melissa and Ethan leave. The moment they do, Isaac visibly relaxes. "What do you want for lunch, Isaac?" Derek asks him gently.

Isaac snuggles in closer to Scott while his lover squeezes his arms around him even tighter. "Pizza?" Isaac asks.

"Pizza for lunch?" Derek says, "We always have pizza for dinner on full moon days."

Isaac closes his eyes. "Fine. I want some KFC popcorn chicken."

* * *

"Melissa, what's the matter?" Ethan asks when Derek and Isaac leave to go pick up the pizza for dinner. "Your heart just jumped."

Melissa shrugs and glances around the loft nervously. "Nothing's wrong." She sighs and leans into the back of the couch, closing her eyes. "I'm just a little antsy about tonight."

Scott clambers down the stairs, his arms full of chains. "Mom, calm down. You'll be fine." He sounds as if he's trying to convince himself.

Melissa's heart skips a beat when she sees Scott start setting up the chains and attaching them to the wall. She gulps, "If I'm gonna be fine, why do you have chains?"

Ethan grabs her hand. "It's just a precaution, okay? We don't want you to lose control and get out and hurt people."

Melissa's body tenses. "I could hurt somebody?"

Scott stops what he's doing and sits down next to his mother. "Ethan, shut up." He says. "Mom, it sounds much scarier and worse than it is, I promise. You're completely one-hundred percent safe."

Melissa pulls her son into a hug and breathes in his scent, which calms her almost as much as Ethan's does. "Thanks." She whispers. "I'm just as little overwhelmed, that's all."

Scott pulls away and grins. "Stiles will be here after dinner, and trust me, he's great comic relief. He'll distract you."

Melissa sits back and closes her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. The three of them sit in silence until the smell of Derek, Isaac and meat lovers pizza fill their nostrils.

The two wolves enter the loft, Derek carrying three pizza boxes and a two liter pop bottle, while Isaac has two more boxes and another bottle of pop. "There's a pizza for each of 'ya." Isaac says as he hands Melissa a box, "So dig in."

Derek hands out his pizza's and sits on the floor by Melissa's feet, where he starts eating his. "I get a whole pizza?" Melissa says, slightly confused.

Ethan grins from beside her. "It may seem like a lot right now, but trust me; you'll devour it all and probably want more."

As doubtful as Ethan's words had been to Melissa, turns out he had been right. She scarfed down the whole pizza and drank a liter of pop before feeling even remotely full. Everyone finished up a few minutes later and Derek says the words that Melissa's been dreading all day. "Well, it's time to get you tied up."

She tries to stay calm as she sits with her back against the wall while Derek and Ethan put shackles on her wrists and ankles; as an extra precaution, Ethan also puts a chain across Melissa's stomach. Now all they can do is wait.

Scott's phone beeps, causing Melissa to jump, as the sound echoes painfully loud in her ears. Scott looks at her apologetically as he pulls it out and checks his messages. "It's from Stiles." He says, "He can't come tonight, his dad wants him to stay home and do some 'father-son' stuff."

Derek smiles, "Stiles is probably pissed. He hates missing full moons."

"Scott," Melissa says, "even before I knew about werewolves, were you sneaking off here every full moon?"

Scott puts his phone in his pocket and scoots closer to his mother. "In the beginning, no. Stiles would chain me up in my room; I'd break free and roam the woods all night. But by the time Jackson had become the Kanima, yeah, I was coming here every full moon."

Melissa sighs, "Have you heard from Jackson at all?"

She feels a sudden change in the atmosphere, Melissa can feel, and smell, the sadness and longing coming from every other wolf in the room, minus Ethan of course. "No." Derek says.

"Not a word." Scott adds.

"Who's Jackson?" Ethan asks innocently.

Scott starts explaining, but Melissa only half-listens, she doesn't want to re-live her brief brush with the Kanima, and she focuses instead on trying to settle her nerves. The room had just fallen silent when Melissa felt it, a pull. A painful pull.

She screams and tries to break her restraints but two pairs of arms hold her down. She struggles under their grip as another wave of pain crashes through her. When it stops she leans her head back against the wall and desperately sucks in a few breaths. Without warning, her upper body jerks forwards and she pukes up her entire dinner, before succumbing to the moon again.

Scott and Ethan hold her down as she screams and struggles underneath them. But this time they notice something; her fingernails are growing, as well as her teeth and wisps of hair sprout on her face.

Finally, the screaming stops and Melissa stills. She opens her eyes; her glowing yellow beta eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

**(Author's Note:** _Hey guys...I'm sorry that it's taken so long t_o_ post this chapter...I've been busy with school, homework, play practice, rugby practice and life :P I also had writers block and only started writing this chapter two days ago...I finished it yesterday and then edited and posted it today :P I hope nobody's lost interest in this fic...its about to get really dramatic and crazy...and I've already started planning a sequel :) There will be 8 more chapters after this one and then this fic is over :P Anyway...here's the chapter :)_**)**

* * *

CHAPTER 17

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Isaac whispers to Scott as they creep silently across the abandon mall's floor. "I don't feel right about this."

Scott sighs, stops walking and turns to face Isaac. "I don't like this anymore than you do; I just can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen, but if Derek does this alone then he'll be killed."

Isaac sucks in a shaky breath and tries to calm his nerves. "I feel like someone's going to be killed tonight, Scott, and I hope to god it's not you. Or me. Or anybody." A silent tear trickles slowly down his cheek. "We can't lose anybody; we need everybody."

Scott pulls Isaac into a hug. "It'll be fine Isaac, I promise. Nobody is going to die today."

"Oh really?" A voice rings out. "Don't be so sure of yourself Scott." Deucalion emerges from the shadows with a huge grin on his face and a hand around a petrified-looking Stiles' neck. A thin stream of blood is flowing from the boy's nose and bruises dot his face.

At the sight of his best friend hurt, Scott's claws extend and he leaps into action without thinking of the possible consequences.

* * *

"Here mom, have a sip of water, it'll calm your stomach a little." Scott says, handing Melissa an ice-cold bottle of water.

"Thanks hun." She breathes. A soft moan of pleasure and satisfaction escapes her as the cool liquid makes it's way down her throat, effectively calming her and cooling her down. Melissa's hair is plastered to her face as a result from all the sweat, and she looks absolutely exhausted. Your first transformation tends to do that to you.

"There's plenty of beds upstairs, mom, you can go rest in one of those." Scott whispers as he watches her eyelids grow heavy.

Melissa smiles gratefully and stands up, only slightly unstable, and carefully makes her way upstairs. The moment she's out of sight Scott allows himself to sink to the ground and put his head in his hands. The past night may have been hard for his mother, but it was torture for Scott to watch. She had been in pain and there was nothing he could do to help her; he had to sit and watch every moment and it killed him.

"Scott, you okay?" Isaac asks.

"I'm fine." Scott mutters through his hands. "Just exhausted."

Isaac sits next to Scott and puts an arm around his shoulders, pulling the vulnerable boy into a hug. "Don't worry about her Scott, she's fine. Your mom's tough, she can handle this."

Scott leans into Isaac, "But what if I can't handle it?"

Isaac smiles and kisses the side of Scott's head. "Then you have to at least accept it; you can't change what happened."

Scott closes his eyes and snuggles in closer to Isaac, "Hopefully the next few days are easy ones; I've had enough stress to last me a lifetime."

Derek walks in from the kitchen with an expression of pure hurt on his face. "We've got a problem." He whispers, like he's holding back tears.

Scott jumps up, as well as Isaac. "What happened?"

Derek looks at the floor. "Deucalion has Stiles. He said that if we don't meet him at the mall tonight, he's going to kill him."

"How do you know this?" Isaac gasps.

In response Derek holds out his phone, a video already ready to play, and hands it to Isaac who immediately starts it. The escalator in the mall comes into focus with a beaten up Stiles laying on it, blood starting to soak through his shirt and drip onto the motionless steps. 'Poor Stiles.' The filmer says mockingly. 'If his so called pack isn't here to save him by tonight, he'll be put out of his misery.' The screen fades to black, but the video isn't over. Less than a second after the escalator is out of view a loud, agony-filled, ear-piercing scream that could only be Stiles' erupts from the speakers. Then it's abruptly cut off as the video ends.

Scott, who is now as white as a sheet, is the first to speak. "We have to go get him."

"And we will." Peter calls from the doorway. "But first we need a plan."

Scott turns towards Peter and growls. "No!" He yells, stomping towards the older wolf. "We get him now." Scott lunges for the door.

Peter grabs Scott's wrists and drags him back into the room. "We have until tonight!" Peter snaps. "If we go now, without a plan, it'll be a suicide mission."

Scott struggles to get out of Peter's grasp. "No! He's hurt! We have to get him now!"

"Scott, calm down for just a second." Derek says.

Of course, Derek's words only makes Scott angrier and the boy starts clawing at Peter's arm, leaving deep, bloody gashes. "What if they kill him?!"

Isaac grabs one of Scott's hands and kisses his cheek, which seems to calm him down slightly. "Scott, they won't kill him, okay." He whispers. "We're going to make a plan, then we're gonna go get Stiles and whip some alpha pack a$s, okay?"

Scott stops struggling against Peter. "As long as I get Deucalion." He whispers.

"I'll help you with that one." Derek says, now grinning at the thought of a full fledged fight against the alphas.

* * *

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do." Peter says as he lays out a map of the mall across the kitchen counter. "Derek and I will go in the main doors, and Scott and Isaac will sneak in the back. That way we'll have people on both sides."

"What about Lydia and I?" Allison asks from the corner of the room.

Peter glances towards the two girls, who had shown up accompanied by Allison's father, Boyd and Stiles's father. Peter raises his eyebrows at the sight of Mr. Stilinski. "Since when do you know about the supernatural?"

Stilinski shrugs, "Stiles explained it to me a while ago, but he told me to stay out of it and act like I don't know anything so I don't risk getting killed."

Ethan steps forward, "Don't forget that you also have Melissa and I."

"No." Scott growls, "My mother is not going to be a part of this."

"She has to be Scott, we'll need all the people we can get." Derek says.. "Besides, if we leave her here alone we run the risk of one of the alphas attacking her while we're gone."

Isaac squeezes Scott's hand. "She's a werewolf now, she'll be fine."

Scott takes a deep breath. "Okay, so Ethan and Boyd can jump in once the fighting starts and my mom, Chris, Allison and Lydia can shoot them from afar."

"Once the fighting starts I think we should have at least one wolf guarding a human." Ethan says. "Deucalion will tell the others to try and get to them first because they are more easily killed than the wolves."

"Hey," Allison says sharply, "We can take care of ourselves."

"You have no idea what they're capable of, but I do know, and it's going to be tough to win. But, after years of being with Deucalion, I know almost exactly what he'll do."

* * *

"Scott, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Deucalion whispers menacingly as the young werewolf lunges at him. "If you come any closer, Stiles would be dead before I could say 'oops.'" Deucalion made his threat clear when he dug his nails slightly into Stiles's stomach, making the boy groan in pain.

Scott, reluctantly, backed off and eyed up Deucalion. "What do you want with us?"

Deucalion tosses Stiles to the ground, hard, and a loud snap echoes throughout the mall, followed by a cry from Stiles. Deucalion stomps towards Scott as if nothing happened and grabs his shoulders. "I want you." He screams in the werewolf's face. "I need you in my pack. You're the only one who can help me catch the Darach and stop it from making all the sacrifices."

Isaac, who had been quiet up until now, steps up beside Scott. "I thought you were the one making the sacrifices."

Deucalion chuckles, "Why would I waste my time on some stupid humans? I'm here to recruit Scott, but the Darach is complicating things."

"Your pack is powerful enough, so why not go after the Darach yourselves?" Scott questions.

"Ah, but that's where it gets complicated. The whole point of me acting like I was the one making the sacrifices in the gym was to scare Scott into joining me." Deucalion grins menacingly, "I need you to come with me Scott, and everybody else can go peacefully."

Scott studies the powerful alpha carefully, searching for any sign of a lie, but as far as Scott can tell, Deucalion is being honest. And, for a moment, Scott almost agreed to go with him. "He won't go with you." Derek snarls from behind Deucalion.

Scott's heart starts to race; this isn't part of the plan, Derek isn't supposed to come in until Scott's done getting information. And, Derek shouldn't be alone, Peter is supposed to be with him, but he's nowhere to be seen. "Aww such a shame; I was beginning to like the thought of letting the boy go." And with that Deucalion places a foot on Stiles's neck and slowly starts adding pressure. Stiles, finding some last-resort energy, starts clawing at Deucalion's leg, but it's no use. After a second Deucalion presses his foot down with such force that he crushes and flattens Stiles's neck underneath him. He died before Scott could even blink.

It takes a moment for the death to take effect. Scott stares at Stiles's lifeless body in disbelief for a few moments; there's no way that Stiles, his _best friend_, could be dead. He was always so full of life. But now, there's only a lifeless corpse that's slowly bleeding out. Tears begin to well in Scott's eyes as the full force of the death hits him, and his legs inexplicably give out, causing him to collapse onto the floor.

The rest of the pack comes in, including the remaining members of the alpha pack, looking like they'd already been fighting hard. They look at the scene before them with curious eyes as the realization of what has happened hits them. The sight of Stiles's dad screaming for his son stirs something in Scott. Something he usually has control over, something deep within him, a red hot flame that burns brighter than any candle when you encourage it to. Anger.

Scott slowly rises from the floor, glaring at Deucalion, completely engulfed in the raw emotion. Scott, with his eyes aflame, stomps towards the all-mighty alpha and only stops once their nose-to-nose. "How dare you kill him!" Scott screams and throws the first punch, right in Deucalion's jaw.

Deucalion stumbles back in surprise and Scott doesn't hesitate to take the moment to launch another punch, this time a hard blow to the stomach, then his head and anything else that Scott could hit. "You monster!" Scott screams, eyes blurry with tears. "He didn't deserve that! He didn't do anything wrong!"

Deucalion pushes Scott back, now ready for a fight, but Scott won't have it. Without hesitation the young wolf leaps at the alpha in a cry of pained rage and tackles him to the ground, pinning him down and delivering punch after punch to his face. Scott doesn't stop when blood starts gushing from Deucalion's nose or mouth, or when the alpha fights back. He doesn't even stop when the body goes limp; Scott keeps hitting him, knowing that the second he stops he'll have to face Stiles's death, and he can't deal with that.

A pair of strong hands grip Scott's shoulders and starts dragging him off of the dead alpha. "Scott, he's gone, you can stop now." The person, who sounds suspiciously like Derek, whispers gently to Scott.

Scott starts struggling against the restraining arms. "No! He killed Stiles, I need to – he killed him Derek! Stiles, he killed Stiles, I need to-" Scott's words become unintelligible as he succumbs to tears and stops struggling, now collapsing into a sobbing, trembling mess.


	18. Chapter 18

**(Author's****Note:**_So, here's another chapters...I probably won't have to post another one until next weekend...so be patient. I stayed up until almost midnight for you guys, on a school night, so you could have this chapter today :P Hope you like it :)_**)**

CHAPTER 18

"Uhg, why couldn't we just drive here?" Lydia groans. "My shoes are getting all muddy."

Allison shushes her and continues walking, completely focusing on the task ahead of her, finding the alpha pack's hide out. "I've told you a million times, if we had drove, they would hear us." Allison whispers harshly.

Lydia grumbles, but continues to follow Allison relatively quietly. As much as she hates the fact that she's in the middle of the woods with muddy shoes that she bought yesterday, she''d rather be here than back at Derek's loft with everybody else. Scott is an emotional wreak and all the wolves are on edge because of it, and, as much as Lydia likes causing a little drama, there's just too much of it in one place for her to handle.

"How do you know if Kali, Ennis and Aiden will still be there?" Lydia whispers, "Deucalion's dead, they've probably left by now."

Allison shrugs, "Ethan is still with us, which means they're still down a wolf. My guess is that Aiden won't leave until he has Ethan."

Lydia frowns. "But Ethan isn't going to go back to them."

Allison sighs, "You've seen how the pack works, they push and fight until someone dies or agrees to join them. If they're still here because of Ethan, than they won't leave until Ethan does."

Lydia stops and looks up at the sky, tears threatening to spill over her eyes. "Why are we actually out here? You have a crossbow and two knives; if we were only looking for their base, then you wouldn't be this heavily armed."

Allison stops as well, her back to Lydia. "You want the truth?"

"Of course I do." Lydia murmurs.

"I can't stand being back with everyone else, okay? Seeing Scott like that. . . it kills me. I don't want to have to try and be strong around him because every time I think about Stiles I just . ." Allison starts crying and she grabs a tree for support. "I get so angry, and I just want revenge, okay? If we find the rest of the alpha pack, I'm going to kill them."

Lydia, whose now crying as well, walks over to Allison and puts a hand on her shoulder. "I get what you mean. It's just too much, I know."

"Out of all of us, he was the one that deserved to die the least." Allison moans.

Lydia bites her lip. "I can't believe I ignored him all those years." She whispers. "Even thought he did turn out to be gay, I still feel bad; before all the wolf stuff started, I never even gave him a chance to be friends."

Allison unexpectedly giggles. "It's kinda funny how your wanna-be lover was gay and my ex is gay."

Lydia smiles, it is kinda funny. "I guess it is. Are we so bad that we either turn people gay or make them leave? I mean, I've only ever dated Jackson, who left, and Aiden, who turned out to be a psycho murder who doubles as a werewolf."

Allison smiles. "You should talk to Derek, his last girlfriend turned out to be a psycho murderer as well."

Lydia snorts. "Please, since when does Derek ever talk about his past, let alone give out break-up coping tips?"

Allison wipes the last few tears from her eyes and starts walking again. The girls lapse into silence and really start to focus on finding the rest of the alpha pack. It's a slow process, they're trying to go as quietly as they can, but it's hard with leaves littering the ground. Every time they hear a suspicious crunch Allison lifts her crossbow, but it's usually just an animal.

Lydia is just about to suggest they turn around and go home when a low howl echoes throughout the trees. Ennis appears through a gap in the trees a few feet away, causing Allison and Lydia to pin themselves against a tree in an effort not to be seen. Lydia thanks her lucky stars that the wind is blowing towards them, so there's no chance of him smelling the two girls.

A few minutes pass and nothing happens, Ennis is just standing there. But, Allison and Lydia don't move because if one wolf howls, it invites the pack. Kali and Aiden should be here soon. Sure enough, just as Lydia has finished the thought, the girls hear two sets of footsteps approach Ennis. "Where is he?" Ennis asks.

"In the loft, along with the rest of the pack." Kali's voice says.

"But we can take them." Aiden adds. "They're all knocked down a few notches from the loss of the boy. It will be all too easy to get to Derek."

"Why not kill Scott?" Kali hisses. "He's the one who killed Deucalion."

"We still need him, Kali! Deucalion said that Scott is the only one that can stop the Darach, and now that he's killed Deucalion, Scott will be developing tons of new strength and power. Killing Derek will push him to our side." Ennis explains.

Aiden clears his throat. "We have to do it tonight. Otherwise they'll pull themselves together and be ready for an attack."

* * *

Isaac looks around the room. Derek's in the corner, head in his hands and silent sobs racking his body; Ethan is sitting with him, trying to comfort him. Ethan is crying is well, but then again, there's not a dry eye in the room. Boyd and Allison's father are sitting across from Isaac, looking lost, and Melissa is holding a now sleeping Mr. Stilinski in her lap.

Isaac looks down at his boyfriend, who is also fast asleep, and lets a few tears trickle down his cheeks. It had been absolute _hell_ trying to get Scott out of the mall; Derek had had to resort to knocking him out and carrying him back. As much as Isaac knows that Scott loves him, he also knows that it's nothing compared to how Scott felt, _feels_, towards Stiles. They'd been best friends since they were kids and they knew each other like nobody else did. They were closer than family, and maybe even closer than pack.

Scott moans and shutters in his sleep and Isaac holds him tighter, dreading the moment he wakes up. The whole room tenses when Scott inhales sharply, then relaxes when the boy continues sleeping. Everyone has been on edge since Scott's tantrum at the mall; an angry and out-of-control grieving werewolf isn't something you want on your hands. Isaac smiles slightly; Scott had had a _tantrum_, like a little kid would have.

Isaac turns to Melissa, whose looking at her son worriedly. "What was Scott like when he was younger?" Isaac whispers.

Melissa smiles slightly. "He was always so happy and full of energy. He'd come up with the wildest stories and he'd always said that he was going to be a writer one day."

"He never told me he wanted to be a writer." Isaac says.

Melissa shrugs. "That was before his dad left. After that, he became a bit more reserved, which worried me, but he grew close to Stiles soon after. Then he was almost back to normal, only he was a bit more of a trouble maker; Stiles wasn't a very good influence on him at first." Melissa smiles wider and shakes her head. "They were never very good influences on each other."

Derek looks up at his beta. "You were never a good influence on Scott either."

Isaac smiles shyly. "It was one time Derek!"

"What?" Melissa asks.

Derek clears his throat. "Isaac, _Dingbat 1_, and Scott, _Dingbat 2_, thought it would be funny to put a live deer in the abandon subway station I was staying at before, and it 'did it's business' all over my clothes."

Melissa giggles, "Really?"

"Yeah, it's true." Isaac says. "I came up with the idea and Scott caught the deer. We both did the 'putting it in Derek's sleeping space' part."

"I haven't trusted either of them since." Derek says.

Isaac sticks out his tongue at his alpha. "You didn't trust us before that."

Boyd clears his throat. "Remember that time Peter and I changed the lock on the door and you spent an hour trying to get in before giving up and knocking the door down."

Peter, who had been sitting on the stairs, laughed. "That was a good one."

"It sounds like your pack doesn't appreciate you very much." Melissa says jokingly.

"Naw, it's all in good fun." Boyd says. "Derek's like a dad to us."

Isaac's smile falters and his expression turns serious. "He's more of a dad to me than my dad ever was."

"We're like a family." Boyd says.

"Better than family." Peter counters.

"We're pack." Derek whispers.

Allison's dad gets up from the couch. "Sorry to interrupt the moment here, but I've got to get going. Gerard's nursing home bill isn't going to pay itself."

* * *

_"Hello class. We have a new student today, his name is Stiles Stilinski." The teacher says cheerily. A kid about the same age as Scott, seven years old, stands beside the teacher, looking nervous and slightly scared of his new classmates. The teacher smiles down at the young boy, "There's a free seat beside Scott, honey. He's a nice boy, I bet you two will become good friends."_

_ The new boy made his way over to Scott, and smiles shyly; he's missing his two front teeth, Scott notes. "Is your name really Stiles?" Scott asks. _

_ The boy sits down and nods, "Kinda. My real name is really long and hard to say, so my parents usually just call me Stiles."_

_ "You have a mom and a dad?" Scott says, his tone a little curious._

_ Stiles shrugs. "Yeah, doesn't everybody?"_

_ Scott sighs and his shoulders hunch slightly. "I had a dad, but him and mom used to fight a lot, so daddy moved out. I haven't seen him in a long time."_

_ Stiles pats Scott's back. "Daddy says that my mommy will be leaving soon; she's really sick and she lives at the hospital right now."_

_ Scott smiles a little, already feeling a little better that someone finally gets what it's like to not have both parents around. "Wanna come to my house soon? I've got lots of video games." Scott says. _

_ Stiles grins. "Okay. I'll ask my daddy when he picks me up. Maybe you can come visit my mom with me sometime."_

Scott wakes with a start. Isaac, Derek and Melissa immediately tense up, ready for anything that he might do. "How're you feeling Scott?" Isaac says.

Scott smiles up at his boyfriend. "Better now that I see you." He sighs. "I had the worst dream though."

Isaac squeezes Scott closer to him, already knowing exactly what his boyfriend is going to say. "What happened in it?"

"Well, we were at the abandon mall just outside of town; you and I were talking with Deucalion when Derek comes in, and then all of a sudden Stiles was on the floor and Deucalion killed him." Scott takes a deep breath. "It was awful Isaac."

Isaac bites his lip; does he _really_ have to be the one to tell Scott that Stiles is actually dead? "Scott, listen, okay? Don't get mad and please try not to freak out." Isaac says.

Scott's expression turns worried, "I promise." He whispers.

"What you think is a dream, it isn't a dream. Stiles . . . Stiles is actually . . . dead."

Scott stays quiet for a moment as he tries to process what his lover just told him. Disbelief floods through Scott, there's no way that Stiles could actually be _dead. _This must be some big misunderstanding; but judging by the look on Isaac's face, he knows it's not. Why would Isaac lie about something like this? "No." Scott stammers. The memories start to come back to Scott in pieces, but very vivid flashbacks. "No, no, no, no, no."

Isaac squeezes Scott tighter to him, preparing for a complete meltdown. "Scott, listen to me. We're going to get through this, okay."

Scott shakes his head, tears now pouring down his cheeks, and clutches Isaac's arms as if they're his lifeline. "Isaac, hold me. Please just hold me, or else I'll . . . I don't know . . . I . . . I can't . . . I don't . . ."

Isaac lifts the trembling boy to a sitting position and pulls him in so his face is in Isaac's neck. "Shhhh, Scott, I've got you." He starts rubbing slow circles on his back.

Melissa comes over and takes one of Scott's hands and Derek starts rubbing his arm. Boyd, Peter and Ethan even move closer to the sobbing boy. Now the real test is beginning; the healing of an emotionally wounded wolf. But with the pack bond they all share, Isaac believes that Scott, along with everybody else, will come to terms with Stiles' passing and move forwards with their lives.


	19. Chapter 19

**(Author's** **Note: **_Okay, sorry for the long gap between the last chapter and this one...but this one is so long...my longest yet :D and i had some major writer's block at points...and I was busy with school and rugby and play practice...so yeah. ALSO I started writing a one-shot (Teen Wolf) a few days ago, which I already have writers block for :P, so that will hopefully up during the week...**AND** I'm currently reading House of Hades (im about halfway done) and have a great idea for a fic...so if you're interested and would read it, tell me in a review :) so yeah...I think that's it. Enjoy the chapter and **reviews** are always appreciated :)_**)**

* * *

CHAPTER 19

"Isaac." Scott whimpers.

Isaac pulls Scott closer to him. "Yeah bud?"

"I-I'm hungry." Scott whimpers.

Derek clears his throat and pats Scott's arm. "I'll go make you something, okay?"

Scott nods and closes his eyes. "Thank you Derek." He whispers.

Melissa shifts over to where Derek had been sitting only a few moments before. "Honey, Boyd and I are going to go pick up some groceries for Derek. I'll be back in an hour, okay hun?"

"Yeah mom, that's fine." Scott says. "I've got Isaac, Derek and Ethan here to take care of me." He attempts a smile but ends up biting back tears.

Melissa rubs Scott's arm apologetically and nods at Boyd that she's ready to leave. "Do you want me to get you anything while we're out?" Boyd asks Scott gently.

Scott shakes his head. "No. Thank you." He takes a deep breath. "Just hurry back."

"We will." Boyd says as he shuts the door to the loft.

"What do you want to do today?" Isaac asks Scott. "We've got the whole day ahead of us. I'll take you anywhere you want and we'll do whatever you want to do."

Scott squeezes Isaac tighter and lets a few tears trickle out of his eyes. "I-I'm sorry I-Isaac. I j-just want to s-stay h-here t-today." Scott whimpers.

Isaac runs his hand through Scott's hair. "That's fine." He whispers. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

Scott closes his eyes and thinks about Isaac's offer. To be honest, Scott doesn't want to do anything; there's just no point in trying to have a good time anymore, his best friend's dead and his mother's a werewolf. "No thanks." He whispers, now on the verge of tears. "I just want to stay right here and cuddle with you."

Isaac smiles. "I think I can manage that."

Scott grips his boyfriend's hand a little tighter. "Isaac, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can." Isaac says, kissing Scott's forehead.

Scott opens his eyes and glances up at Isaac's big blue ones before looking back down at the ground. "W-when your d-dad used to...you know...did you ever t-think about..." Scott trails off.

"Think about what?" Isaac asks gently.

Scott takes a deep breath. "D-did you ever t-think about k-killing yourself?"

Scott feels Isaac stiffen underneath him and the atmosphere of the room changes suddenly. "I did." He whispers, tears about to spill out of his eyes. "And I tried more than once."

Scott sits up and turns so he's face-to-face with Isaac. "You never told me that."

Isaac looks down. "I know. And quite frankly, I didn't want you to know."

Scott pulls Isaac into a hug and rubs his back soothingly when the boy starts to cry. "I-I'm sorry I asked."

Isaac squeezes Scott tighter. "Why did you ask in the first place?"

Now it's Scott turn to look down. "Because...I don't know Isaac." Scott says strongly, anger seeping into his voice. "Maybe it was a way for me to bring up the fact that I don't feel like living anymore."

"You want to kill yourself?" Isaac whispers, startled.

Scott hesitates. _Does_ he want to kill himself? Not really, but he doesn't want to live either. "I don't want to be alive, Isaac. I don't want to walk this earth for another eighty years without my best friend by my side."

The tears trail down Isaac's cheeks at the same time Scott starts trembling in his arms. "Y-you can't leave me Scott. I need you, your mom needs you, and as much as he won't like to admit it, Derek needs you. You can't let this drag you down; Stiles wouldn't want you to live the rest of your life grieving him. And he certainly wouldn't want you to die now; you've got almost your whole life ahead of you."

Scott suddenly sits up and grips his hair tight, as if he's about to pull it out. "You don't get it Isaac!" Scott screams. "He was my best friend! We were supposed to grow up together and be each others best man's at our weddings. I was there when his mom died, I was there when he had his first panic attack, I was there when he first fell in love with Lydia and I was there when he had that cancer scare. He was there for me when I was trying to deal with my parent's divorce, he was there when I started cutting and he helped me stop. You'll never understand what he was like to me."

By now Scott's standing up and Isaac stares at him in awe. "Scott, I-"

Scott stomps his foot in rage and yanks on his hair. "You what, Isaac?"

Isaac closes his mouth, not wanting to enrage Scott anymore by speaking, and begs his boyfriend with his eyes to calm down. Ethan gets up from behind the couch and moves to stand in front of Scott, whose now crying and shaking again. "Scott, I know it's hard, okay? I get that, but-"

"No you don't!" Scott screams at the top of his lungs. "You don't get it! Nobody gets it!"

"Scott, please listen to me." Ethan says gently, his face covered in concern.

"Stop talking to me like I'm a baby!" Scott yells. "I'm not a little kid, stop treating me like I am one!"

"Scott." Derek snaps from the doorway. "Calm down."

Scott turns to look at his alpha and he momentarily stops shaking as he feels the authority of his alpha. "What do you want?" Scott snaps back. "Are you going to baby me too?"

Derek walks up to Scott, so close that they're nose-to-nose, and grabs the boy's wrists. "I'm not going to baby you, but Scott, everyone's concerned about you."

Scott chuckles menacingly. "They're _concerned_ about me? I'm not the one they should be concerned about...maybe you all should be concerned about _Stiles_ because he's the human, HE'S the one we should have been protecting; he's the one that needed us the most and we failed him." Scott's words seem to register to him moments after he speaks them, and suddenly he goes limp in Derek's grip. "Stiles." He moans.

Derek sinks to the ground with Scott and holds the boy close as he prepares for a fight. "I miss him too, you know." He whispers.

Scott only grips Derek's shirt and sobs into his shoulder.

* * *

"We just need some jellybeans and then we're good to go." Boyd says as he reads from the grocery list.

"Why do we need _jellybeans_?" Melissa says as the two head towards the candy isle.

Boyd sighs. "Scott's a mourning werewolf, and, well, we've learned by now that when he's even a little upset, you get him some jellybeans and he calms down almost instantly."

Melissa gives Boyd a knowing smile. "He's been like that since his dad and I got divorced. His favourite ones were always the-"

"White ones." Boyd finishes, laughing. "Why is that?"

Melissa shrugs, "Beats me. You should ask him yourself."

Boyd's shoulders droop, "I'm kinda scared to talk to him now; I don't want to mention something that triggers him."

Melissa sighs. "He was like this at the beginning of the divorce."

"What snapped him out of it?" Boyd asks, his tone now serious.

Melissa stops in front of the jellybeans and picks up two packages, then sighs and looks up at Boyd. "Stiles." Melissa's hands start to shake, causing the jellybeans to make a loud rattling noise. "W-when he met Stiles he started to return to normal."

Boyd gently takes the packs of jellybeans from Melissa and sets them in the cart. "How about you go cool off in the car while I pay for the food, okay?"

Melissa nods, tears dotting her eyes, and exits the store. The cool air relaxes her slightly, but she still runs back to the car. The moment she closes the door a hysterical sob escapes her lips and tears stream from her eyes. She feels her wolf whine and demand to be free, but she pushes it back; if she goes wolf now she'll be out of control and cause the pack more problems than they already have.

Just as Melissa relaxes back into her seat a cool piece of metal is pressed up against her temple. "If you make one move, I won't hesitate to pull the trigger." Kali snarls from the backseat. She shoves the gun slightly harder into Melissa's head to prove her point.

Melissa takes a deep breath and shutters against her seat. "What do you want with me?" She breathes.

Kali snarls. "You'll find out when you need to."

Melissa bites her lip to stop a fresh wave of tears from overcoming her. "What are you waiting for?"

Kali slams the butt of the gun into Melissa's jaw. "Don't play stupid young beta. I know that you're not alone."

"He's innocent. J-just take me." Melissa offers.

Kali grabs Melissa's neck. "I'm following orders. One of which is to kill you if you put up a fight."

"Boyd is going to kick your ass when he gets here." Melissa spits.

Kali chuckles, unamused. "I've got Ennis following him right now. If he makes one move to upset our plan, Ennis is ordered to kill him on the spot."

Melissa's eyes widen as something occurs to her. "Deucalion's dead. Who're you taking order from?"

Kali punches Melissa's nose so fast, she doesn't know what hit her. "That's none of your business." Kali snarls when she hears the satisfying crunch of bone breaking.

Melissa bites back her tears, she doesn't want to appear weaker than she has to in front of the powerful alpha. "You're not going to get away with this." Melissa snarls and in a flash she reaches for the door handle and kicks the door open, while pulling away from Kali.

The second her feet touch the ground, Kali is on her, slamming her face into the hard cement. Melissa feels blood dripping down her face, but ignores it as she starts dodging punches. Melissa tries to kick her knee, to get her to fall down, but Kali grabs her ankle and twists it, effectively breaking it. She snaps Melissa's wrists and pulls her up by her hair, ripping some out in the process. "You can't beat me." Kali snarls in Melissa's face as she drags a claw slowly down the side of the new beta's face, leaving behind a deep bloody gash.

Melissa attempts to headbutt Kali in the face, but Kali is pulled off her and thrown to the ground by a frantic looking Boyd. Melissa crumples to the ground, her broken ankle not able to hold her up. "Boyd, look out!" She screeches.

Kali jumps onto Boyd's back, but Boyd quickly squishes her against the side of the car. In an instant Boyd picks up Melissa, along with the two grocery bags, and speeds off towards the woods. Melissa smiles slightly as she realizes that they've made it away alive. But then the gunshots echo in her ears.

* * *

"Derek, listen to me." Allison yells into the phone as Lydia speeds towards her house. "The rest of the alpha pack is planning to kill you tonight, as revenge for Deucalion. Lydia and I are going to my house to pick up some weapons and inform my dad. I need you to get your pack out of there and somewhere else."

Derek is quiet for a second. "Scott is in no shape to be moved Allison. There has to be something else you can do."

Allison sighs in frustration. "Derek," she says harshly, "they're going to _kill_ you, and probably the rest of the pack if they get a chance to, but we heard them say that they _need_ Scott. They will _take_ him unless you get out!"

"Where are we supposed to go?" Derek whisper-screams into the phone.

"My place." Lydia replies, as if it's obvious. "As far as any of us know, they have no idea where my house is. Even Aiden never came over when we were dating."

Derek sighs. "I'll talk to Scott, but he won't want to leave until his mom gets back."

"Gets back?" Lydia says hysterically, "Where is she?"

"Her and Boyd went to go pick up some groceries."

"So they're separated from you." Allison says in conclusion. "Derek, their _leader_ was just killed, didn't you think that they'd be on the lookout for your pack."

Derek snarls. "No, I didn't Allison. I was a little too preoccupied with trying to keep Scott under control."

Allison sighs and leans into her seat. "Okay, so if they have been attacked, I'll need weapons. When we get to my house I'll stock up and go to the store and try and track them from there; you call me if they get back. Lydia will go to her house and my dad will come and help you get everyone out safely."

"What if Scott won't leave without his mom?" Derek asks.

"Then tell him she's waiting at Lydia's." Allison snaps.

"Fine." Derek growls and hangs up.

"I bet they're fine. Boyd wouldn't let anything happen to Melissa." Lydia whispers.

"Let's hope so." Allison says as they pull into her driveway.

Without waiting for Lydia to stop completely, Allison jumps out of the car and rushes into the garage, scanning the variety of weapons at her disposal. "You go in and tell my dad what's going on and explain the plan to him." Allison yells at Lydia.

First, Allison grabs a small bag of powdered wolfsbane and ties it to her belt. Next she grabs two Chinese ring daggers; one to go in her boot and one in her sleeve. She shoves a gun into the waist of her pants and pulls on a jacket, which also has a gun in an inside pocket along with a flashlight. Lastly, she picks up her crossbow, along with extra arrows.

Without hesitation she hops into the car and speeds towards the grocery store.

* * *

The pain registers in her leg almost immediately. A few seconds later and she falls to the ground as Boyd goes crashing down. Melissa's instincts kick in and she begins frantically crawling away, hoping that she'll be fast enough, but knowing, deep down, that she isn't and unless a miracle happens, she's going to die.

Loud stomps echo in her ears and she makes an attempt to shift, but it won't work. Her muscles and broken bones are screaming at her to stop, and her mind is telling her that it's useless, she should give up, but her body doesn't listen; she keeps going and blocks out all noise around her. That is, until a pair of strong hands hoist her from the ground. "I like it when they run." Ennis hisses. "It makes killing them much more fun." He snaps her arm. "Hope this teaches your alpha a lesson." He drops her on the ground and slams his foot down on her leg, breaking it.

Melissa, finding new strength in the fresh wave of pain, grabs the alpha's leg and pulls him to the ground; if she's going to die, she might as well die fighting. She grabs his neck and squeezes slightly, smiling as he starts to struggle underneath her. She punches him across his face with her free hand until he passes out.

She smiles when she realizes that she actually won against an alpha and looks up for Boyd's approval. But she doesn't see him anywhere. "Boyd?" Melissa calls out into the darkness. "Boyd, where are you?"

As if Melissa's luck couldn't get any worse, it starts to rain. The coolness soothes her skin in some places, but causes a stinging pain others. Blood from the cut on her face starts to pool into her eye and she struggles to wipe it away. The dirt below her becomes soft and slippery underneath her, making it even more difficult to try and move. "Boyd..." she cries as she feels her energy leaving her, "where are you?"

Melissa doesn't know what to do; crawl for safety in the woods or try to find Boyd? Neither option interests her very much, she can barely keep herself up on her hands and knees, but she needs something to distract herself, something to work towards, to ignore that fact that she's slowly bleeding out. However, when a soft groan from Ennis reaches her ears, she decided to take off for the woods. Besides, Boyd is probably already over there.

Taking a deep breath Melissa starts crawling, painfully slow, towards the trees. The rain is coming down so thick that she can't see two feet in front of her and her arms are shaking so bad it's a challenge to even stay somewhat upright. Her wrists are burning like hell, but it's nothing compared to the bullet wound in her leg, which also happens have a broken ankle and femur.

"Melissa?! Boyd?!" A voice calls out.

Melissa turns her head, swaying slightly. Had she imagined the voice? The logical part of her brain knows that she quite possibly could have, she's lost a lot of blood and is dizzy from all the pain so it would have made sense if she had imagined it, but another part of her is still hopeful that she _didn't _hallucinate it; she doesn't know how much longer she can hold on.

Another gunshot echos in Melissa's ears and she slips to the ground, arms giving out. "I love you Scott." She whispers into the night as her enhanced hearing picks up a pair of feet coming towards her.

"Melissa? Boyd?" The voice hisses. Melissa recognizes it, but she can't quite sort out who it is. "Are you over here?"

Melissa tries to say something but her body won't respond. She can't move her arms, her legs are numb and her eyes are becoming heavy. Tears surface as the full force of her situation dawns on her; she's going to die here, alone.

"Melissa?" A bright light is shone in her eyes and she winces. "Oh my god, are you okay?" The person kneels next to her, puts the flashlight down, and turns Melissa so she's on her back. Something is pressed up against her face and a fresh wave of pain crashes through her and she screams in pain.

"I'm sorry Melissa." The person whispers. "You're bleeding like crazy, I've got to get you to Deaton. I'm going to sit you up, okay?"

Melissa whimpers as the person lifts her into a sitting position, but cries out when they lift her to her feet. "My . . . leg." She chokes out.

The stranger moves to support her left side. "My car isn't far from here. You've just got to make it a little farther and then I'll make sure you get fixed up, okay."

"Okay." Melissa breathes out in between silent sobs. She tries her best to move with the mysterious stranger, but her body isn't working properly.

"We're here, okay. I'm going to sit you down in the seat, okay Melissa."

Suddenly the person's face clicks in Melissa's memory. "_Allison_?" Melissa breathes. "D-did you find B-Boyd?"

"No, but he's probably fine. He's more experienced in this stuff than you, he'll come around soon enough."

"But what if he's hurt?" Melissa breathes.

"He'll take care of himself. As soon as you're taken care of we'll send people out to search for him." Allison says.

"Okay." She sighs, closing her eyes as exhaustion starts to set in.

"Melissa, stay with me okay. We're almost there." Allison says, speeding up slightly.

"I'm trying." Melissa whispers. "I'm just really tired."

"Please stay awake for a little bit longer, okay? Then you can sleep as much as you want." Allison counters as she pulls into the parking lot of the animal clinic and rushes to get Melissa out. "Let's go inside and then you can sleep."

* * *

"Where are you, Allison?" Lydia whispers into the phone from her kitchen.

"I'm at Deaton's with Melissa. . . . she's hurt Lydia." Allison replies, worry seeping into her voice.

"Will she be okay?" Lydia asks.

"I'm not sure. For some reason she's not healing properly; Deaton said that she was shot with a wolfsbane-laced bullet, which is most likely what's causing the healing problem." Allison sighs. "Don't tell Scott, okay? We don't need him in a worse condition than he already is."

"Should I send somebody over?" Lydia asks.

"Ethan would be good, considering he's Melissa's alpha; that would probably help a bit." Allison admits.

"Okay, he'll be there in ten minutes." Lydia promises before hanging up.

"What was that about?" Derek asks from behind Lydia.

"It was Allison, she wants Ethan to meet her at Deaton's." Lydia whispers.

"Why?" Derek says, suspicion creeping into his voice.

"Because she found Melissa and she's hurt, but not healing properly. Ethan's her alpha, so him being there might help her a bit." Lydia explains.

"What about Boyd?" Derek asks.

Lydia shakes her head. "Nowhere to be found. He and Melissa had been attacked and Allison figures that he escaped into the woods."

Derek shakes his head, "No, he wouldn't leave without Melissa."

Lydia throws her hands up in frustration. "Worry about that later, right now we need to get Ethan to the clinic and heal Melissa before Scott loses his mom too."

Tears form in Derek's eyes. "Ethan can go help his beta, but I'm going to go out look for mine." He turns, stomps out of the kitchen and heads for the front door.

Lydia grabs his arm and ignores the threatening snarl. "The alphas are out to get you!" She yells. "If you go out there alone, you could be killed!"

Derek shakes her arm off and looks at the stunned boys sitting on the couch. "I don't care. Pack comes before anything Lydia, and I'm not going to stop until I know where he is!" Derek whips open the door and slams it shut behind him.

"What was that about?" Ethan asks.

"He's the stupidest alpha ever." Lydia grumbles. "Ethan, go to Deaton's ASAP, Allison's waiting for you."

Ethan obeys without a word, knowing that if he says the wrong thing to Lydia right now, she'll probably bite his head off. "Isaac, think you can manage Scott for a few hours?"

"Where are you going?" Scott croaks. "W-where did Derek go? Where's Peter? Where's my mom?"

Lydia sighs. "I'm going to go help Derek look for Boyd, okay? And, sorry to break it to 'ya Scottie, but hardly anybody ever knows where Peter is." That earns a smile from Scott. "And your mom," Lydia sighs, trying to think of what to say, "she's helping Allison."

"With what?" Scott asks.

"I'm not sure, Allison didn't say when I was talking to her. But I'm sure she'll be back soon." Lydia says encouragingly before leaving the house.

Scott waits until the sound of Lydia's car is gone before shakily standing up. "Let's go." He whispers, which is currently the loudest his voice will seem to go.

Isaac stands up, arms out and ready to grab Scott if he falls. "Go where?"

"To figure out what the hell my mom is doing." Scott says, as if it's obvious. "Lydia was obviously lying, you heard her heart too."

Isaac bites his lip. _Yes_ he knows that Lydia had lied about Melissa, but he also knows that she wouldn't have without a good reason to; which means Scott isn't supposed to know what's actually going on. "You won't make it to the door before collapsing." Isaac says matter-of-factly. "How about you just relax on the couch and I'll get you a drink and put a movie in."

"What if she's hurt?" Scott whispers.

"If she was, Lydia would tell you, wouldn't she." Isaac insists as his mind tries its best to make Scott believe it.

Scott sighs and falls back onto the couch, exhausted. "True." He agrees. Then a seductive smile creeps onto his face, "Come lay on the couch with me."

Isaac smiles and climbs on, positioning himself so his legs are intertwined with Scott's and their torso's are side-by-side so they can look at each other. "What do you want to do?" Isaac whispers as he kisses his boyfriend's neck.

Scott grabs the sides of Isaac's head and pulls their lips together. "I want you," He huffs, "to kiss me."

"Is that it?" Isaac smiles, giving the tip of Scott's nose a soft peck.

Scott starts tracing his finger up and down Isaac's cheekbones. "And I want you to hold me." A soft moan of pleasure escapes him as Isaac grabs his hips. "And I want you to take my clothes off."

Isaac kisses Scott's collarbones before slowly starting to pull off his boyfriend's pants. "Are you sure?"

Scott bites his lip. "I've heard that grief sex is a good thing."

Isaac sighs and climbs off the couch. "Scott, I'm not going to have sexy times with you to help you grieve. That's not how it works."

Scott sighs. "Isaac, this is what I want. I need to feel close to someone right now."

Isaac smiles, even though he knows he probably shouldn't have. "There's other ways to feel close to someone, Scott. Here's the deal, I'll go make you a sandwich while you think of a movie to watch."

Scott reaches out and grabs Isaac's hand. "I don't need anything to eat." He whispers. "Just put in whatever and sit with me."

Scott's voice sounds so broken and pained that it brings tears to Isaac's eyes. "Okay bud." He whispers.

* * *

Melissa groans as the pain in her leg suddenly flares up. As if her other injuries sense her pain, they start to flare up too. Her wrists start to burn and her forehead starts pounding so hard that her vision blurs. Tears trickle from the corner of her eyes. "Melissa, can you hear me?" A voice asks.

Melissa squeezes her eyes shut against the pain. "Yea." She moans.

"It's Dr. Deaton," The voice says, "and I'm going to help you. First, I'm going to give you a shot, okay. It might hurt at first, but then you should feel numb, so don't panic, okay."

"Yeah." Melissa says. She feels a slight prick in her arm, not nearly as painful as her broken bones, and then a warm sensation spreads throughout her entire body. She feels herself slowly relaxing and smiles slightly.

"I'm going to put a mask over your mouth, okay." Deaton says. "Keep breathing and before you know it, you'll be asleep."

"Yea." Melissa whispers as she feels something cool cover her mouth.


End file.
